Uphill Battle
by Brulian4ever
Summary: My take on the preview for 4x17 "Empire of the Son". Dair with some Chair and Derena. Rating changed to M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - So, as a die-hard Chair fan since Season 1, I was totally opposed to Dair strictly on principle plus it just seemed like the writers were grasping with that pairing, but by god those two are freaking cute together. I couldn't stop myself from at least partially jumping on Dair train. I haven't completely abandoned hope for Chair, but I don't know if it's possible for the writers to fix the mess they've made with them. Plus with Chuck being a total douche these days, I'm starting to think that Dan could be really good for Blair and vice versa. Anyway, this is my first attempt at writing Gossip Girl. I was inspired by the promo for 4x17. This is what I would like to happen. I hope you enjoy! Please, please, please review. **

**Disclaimer - I own nothing.**

"Just one kiss." Dan's voice is low as he lays his hand on Blair's shoulder and suddenly she feels like she can't breathe.

"What?" Blair continues to stare at him in shock. "Have you completely lost your mind, Humphrey?"

"Maybe…" Dan stepped forward, closing the gap between their bodies and Blair feels like she's about to pass out when Dan's eyes flick to her lips for a second. "But I don't think so. I think that you feel it too - whatever this thing is, that's going on between us." Blair opens her mouth to speak but Dan's arm sliding easily around her waist causes the words to die in her throat. "Can you look me in the eye and honestly tell me that you feel nothing, Blair?"

Blair opened her mouth to speak again, more specifically she opened her mouth to deny what he was saying, but as she looked up into Dan's dark eyes she felt her pulse start to race and her heart is pounding so loudly in her chest that she's surprised he can't hear it. Yeah, that definitely wasn't 'nothing'. Dan took her silence as an unspoken agreement and lifted his hand to brush the hair from her face. Blair's mind was still trying to process what was happening when Dan slowly lowered his head toward hers but all thoughts were gone the moment he gently pressed his lips against hers and her eyes fluttered closed.

His lips moved over hers gently but urgently and Blair can't stop herself from moaning into his mouth. She feels Dan smile, pulling her closer, pressing his body against hers and tangling his fingers in her hair. After a few more (breath taking) moments, Dan pulls away from her and leans close to whisper in her ear.

"Do you still think I've lost my mind?" His breath is hot on her skin and Blair closes her eyes for a moment before turning her head slightly to look at him.

"Shut up, Humphrey." She murmured, clutching the front of his shirt and pulling him forward, crashing her lips against his again. For a brief second, Serena flashes through Blair's mind but she pushes the thought away as quickly as it comes. She doesn't want to think about Serena or what the ramifications of this might be. Right now, all she wants to do is focus on Dan and the way he's making her feel as he awakens things in her that she never thought she would feel again.

"Blair…" Dan pulls away again and she looks up at him in a slight daze as he takes her face in his hands, kissing her softly once more and causing her heart to pound even faster. Before he has a chance to say anything else, he's suddenly pulled away from her and he stumbles back a few feet as they both see Chuck for the first time, staring at the two of them, anger seeping from his whole body.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Humphrey?" Chuck sneers in Dan's direction.

"What the hell does it _look_ like I'm doing, Bass?" Dan snaps back and all Blair can do is stare at the two men in front of her with wide eyes, her hand covering her mouth in shock.

"What makes you think that you have any right to put your hands on her?" Chuck's eyes are cold and Blair can't help but cringe. She knows that look too well.

"Well, she certainly didn't seem to have any objections!" Dan barks and Blair's eyes dart to him in surprise.

"Excuse me, _she_ has a name!" Blair's voice cuts through the argument and both men turn to look at her. She looks at the two of them for a second before turning to Chuck with a sigh. "What do you want, Chuck? What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you, obviously." He takes a step closer and Blair instinctively takes a step back, causing Chuck to frown. "And I walk in to find you with Humphrey! Humphrey? If you were trying to make me jealous, Blair, it worked. Because I don't think I'll ever get that image out of my head. I can't believe you would do that - he's so beneath you."

"Don't talk about him like that." Blair bristles at Chuck's words. "He's one the who's been here while you've been out being the perfect boyfriend to _everyone _but _me_!"

"Blair, that's why I'm here. I made a mistake, I know that now." Chuck took another step toward her but this time is stopped by Dan grabbing his arm.

"Yeah, well, you're too late, Bass. That ship has sailed." Dan jerks him back and Chuck shakes his hand off with complete disgust.

"Really? Because I didn't hear Blair say that whatsoever." Chuck growls.

"Blair, tell him!" Dan turns to look her at her expectantly and Chuck follows suit. Blair stares at the two of them in silence for a second. "Blair…" Dan's says again and she slowly pulls her gaze up to meet his.

"I…" She begins but the words don't seem to want to come out and her eyes dart to Chuck quickly before she looks back at Dan.

"I don't believe this. Are you serious?" Dan stares at her and Blair feels her heart contract at the hurt dancing behind his eyes. "After everything that he has done to you…" He shakes his head almost in defeat. "When are you going to stop letting him walk all over you? You deserve so much better than this, Blair. I don't know why you can't see that."

Dan gives her one last pained look before turning and heading toward the elevator. It takes a few seconds before Blair snaps out of her daze - just as the elevator door opens and Dan steps inside.

"Dan…" She starts to go after him but she reaches the elevator too late and the door closes. She drops her head, tear pricking her eyes. After everything, the last she thing that she wants to do is hurt Dan.

"Blair…" Chuck's voice brings her back to reality and she turns to find him watching her intensely. "You know this is what's right." He comes toward her slowly. "I mean, honestly, you and Humphrey? You couldn't really believe that the two of you could ever be together." Blair stares at him in silence as Chuck reaches her to brush his hand across her cheek. "In the end, it's always going to be us. Chuck and Blair. Blair and Chuck. We're inevitable."

**X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X**

Dan can hear Blair call his name just as the elevator door closes and he resists the urge to go back. He doesn't want to hear what she has to say. He doesn't want to hear her apologies. He doesn't want to listen to her tell him that even if she does feel something for him (and he knows that she does) that she belongs to Chuck, belongs with Chuck. He can't handle listening to Chuck mock him for thinking that the lowly boy from Brooklyn could ever have a chance with the Upper East Side's Queen Bee.

He exits Blair's building and the cool air hits him. He glances over his shoulder one last time in the vain hope that she had come after him. Of course she hadn't. She was upstairs reconciling with Chuck. The thought turned his stomach. He muttered a few choice swear words under his breath as he made his way away from the building. He needed to get out of there as fast as possible, otherwise he didn't know what he would do. He wandered around the city for awhile before ending up at his favourite old movie house. Maybe escaping reality for a few hours wouldn't be a bad thing. But, of course, it was pointless because even as he sat in the dark theatre all he could think of was Blair.

He had been fighting the urge to kiss Blair for awhile, the fear of her reaction always stopping him, until finally he just said screw it and did it. And without a doubt he had made the right choice. Kissing Blair was like nothing he had ever experienced before. It had been different from his first kiss with Serena. That had been all about the throws of first love when all of his senses and emotions had been heightened. And it was different from his first kiss with Vanessa, which had been laced with the fear of losing his best friend but at the same time held a slight level of comfort because of their history. No, kissing Blair Waldorf was indescribable. He literally didn't have the words to describe it. Her lips were softer than any he had ever known before and when she moaned like that ( and because of _him _no less), Dan was sure he could have taken her right then and there in the foyer of her apartment. The thought of Chuck walking in on _that_ brings a smile to his face.

The pleasure doesn't last long though as he grimaces at the mere thought of Chuck Bass. He would never understand the hold that he had over Blair. Sure, there had been a time when ever _he_ believed that Chuck and Blair were a perfect match, but that just wasn't the case anymore. He'd watched Chuck disregard Blair's feelings time and time again without remorse - first with Eva and now with Raina. The bastard had _sold_ her for a fucking hotel for God's sake!

Dan could feel his anger starting to rise and he quickly left the theatre, even though the movie was no where near over. That was a bad idea anyway, of course movies would just remind him of Blair. He shook his head with a tired sigh as he hailed a cab. He was physically and mentally exhausted by the time he finally reached Brooklyn and he dragged himself up the stairs toward his loft and the last thing he expects to find is Blair sitting outside his door, her foot twitching nervously.

"Blair, what are you doing here?" He asks as he approaches and she looks up with a start. "How long have you been here?" He helps her to her feet and Blair shrugs.

"I don't know, awhile I guess. I needed to talk to you." She says finally, biting her lip anxiously and Dan feels his stomach do a flop. This girl had completely wrecked him.

"Blair, I appreciate the sentiment but, really, it's fine." He unlocks the door and Blair follows him inside. "I mean, it was just one kiss. Clearly it didn't mean anything."

"It didn't?" Blair's tone causes Dan to turn and look at her. "What do you take me for, Humphrey? Do you think that I just go around kissing any male I can get my hands on?" Blair crosses her arms over her chest, one eyebrow raised in expectation.

"No, Blair, of course not." He sighs heavily, running his fingers through his hair. "But, I mean, you're getting back together with Chuck so it's fine. We can just forget the whole thing…"

"I'm not getting back together with Chuck." Blair says quietly, causing Dan to freeze.

"You're not?" He tries to keep the hope out of his voice but he fails miserably and Blair bites her lip again before shaking her head.

"No." She closes her eyes for a second and all Dan can do is stand there, holding his breath as he waits. "After you left, Chuck told me that in the end it was always going to be him and me. Chuck and Blair. Blair and Chuck. He said that we were inevitable. And I don't know, maybe he's right. Maybe he and I are inevitable. Maybe we're meant for each other but that doesn't mean that we're meant for each other right now."

"Blair, what are you saying?" Dan takes a slow step toward her. "Because I think I know what you're saying, but I've learned to never assume anything when it comes to Blair Waldorf."

Blair's expression softens as she steps forward and gently places her hand on his cheek.

"I'm not going to stand here and tell you that I'm completely over Chuck because I'm not and I won't lie to you about that. But I also know that right now, Chuck and I don't work as a couple. He's bad for me. We're bad for each other. But you…" She breaks off for a second to take a breath. "Dan, you are so good for me. Yes, there are times when you make me want to pull my hair out, but I like it when your around and I miss you when you're not."

Dan can't stop from smiling a little and he moves closer. The two of them are quiet for a long time as they look at each other.

"I don't know what's going to happen between us." Blair shakes her head slowly. "Maybe Chuck is right, maybe we will crash and burn but that's a risk that I'm willing to take. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I'm willing to give this a shot if you are." Her voice is barley a whisper but it's like music to Dan's ears and he doesn't hesitate in enveloping her in his arms and burying his face in her chocolate curls.

"I think you already know the answer to that." He pulls away with a smile.

"This is going to hit the Upper East Side like a hurricane." Blair makes a face before smiling back at him.

"I say, bring it on." Dan whispers before lowering his head to capture her lips in a soft but meaningful kiss. It was going to be uphill battle that was for sure. They might catch some flack for it and, yeah, she might still have some feelings for Chuck, but he could deal with all of that. What mattered was that, right now, she was his and if he had any say in the matter, she would be for a long time.

**2nd A/N - Eek OK that was it! I'm super nervous about this one as it's my first attempt at Dair and GG in general. It's a one shot for now but I've been thinking about continuing. Let me know if you think I should. I really hope you guys like it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - Hey everyone! So there seemed to be enough interest in this story for me to keep going. Here's Chapter 2. I think it turned out pretty good. Hopefully you guys will too. I have all these ideas for this story now so I should be starting chapter 3 very soon. I've changed the writing on this story to M as well - just in case for later chapters. **

**Anyway, I tried to stay as true to Dan and Blair's character as much as I could. I hope you guys like it. Excuse the typos, I'm sure I missed a few. **

**Please review!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

"What happened here?" Blair gently runs her finger across the scar on Dan's right arm a few hours later when they're curled up on his bed.

"Oh, just a stupid accident when I was kid." Dan murmurs, tightening his arms around her and pressing a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Tell me about it." She lifts her head to look at him expectantly and Dan stares at her for a second before smiling.

"There's not really a whole lot to tell."

"So, tell me anyway." Blair settles against him, her fingers still absentmindedly tracing the outline of the scar.

"Ugh, well, I guess I was about 6 or so and my dad was trying to teach me how to ride my bike. I told him to let go, he did. I went down in a pile with the bike. Got a pretty decent gash on my arm from it, hence the scar."

"My mother never let me ride a bike when I was a kid." Blair says matter-of-factly and Dan just looks at her a second.

"You mean never, as in never?" Dan looks down at her and Blair just shakes her head.

"No, she didn't want me getting my clothes dirty." Blair shrugs a little. "That's how it was done on the Upper East Side."

"So, have you never been on bike?" Dan stares at her in complete disbelief and Blair looks up at him for a second before rolling her eyes.

"My God Humphrey, of course I've been on a bike - numerous times in the Hampton's when I got older. " Blair shakes her head, scoffing. "You are so overdramatic sometimes. I make one comment and suddenly you're acting like I was was raised by communists or something."

"You're calling me overdramatic?" He raises one eyebrow at her. "That's rich Waldorf, especially coming from you."

"If the shoe fits." Blair says with an air of finality as she lays back down, resting her head against his chest again. Dan stares at the top of her head for a second before shaking his head with a smile and softly running his fingers through her hair.

"Whatever you say, Blair." Blair can feel his chest rumble against her cheek as he speaks and she bites her lip with a smile. "Can we talk about something else please."

"OK. What would you like to talk about, Daniel?" Blair raised her head to look at him again and Dan couldn't resist the urge to kiss her.

"Hmm….how about we talk about this." He gently pulls her up so her whole body is stretched across his and he brushes his lips across hers.

Blair lets out a contented sigh as she sinks into him. Dan takes that as an opportunity to deepen the kiss and Blair's head is spinning in the best possible way when they finally break apart, out of breath.

"You know, you're pretty good at that, Humphrey." Blair smiles down at him as she tries to steady her breathing.

"You're not so bad yourself, Waldorf." Dan grins before sliding his hand around to cup the back of her head, pulling her face towards his again. He can't seem to get enough of her. His hands get twisted in her long hair as he tries to pull her even closer. It still wasn't enough. In one quick motion, he flips them so Blair is pinned to the bed beneath him. Dan dips his head to her shoulder, pressing a soft kiss there and he feels Blair shudder beneath him. He leaves a trail of kisses up her neck and across her chest as he hands slowly move the hem of her skirt and he hesitates for a second, pulling away to look at her.

"What are you doing? Why did you stop?" Blair says it almost like an order and Dan finds himself chuckling as he kisses her firmly on mouth, his left hand painstakingly making its way up her soft thigh.

"Oh God Dan…" Blair moans in his ear and Dan groans loudly. He dropped his head on her shoulder for a second.

"Damn it Waldorf. If you keep that up, this is going to be over before it even starts." He mutters gruffly and Blair stares at him for a second before smirking and pulling his lips back to hers. Blair gasps against Dan's mouth when he fingers brush the top of her lace panties and the throbbing sensation between her legs only intensifies at the thought of how close he was.

Suddenly Blair's phone starts to ring and the two of them let out frustrated groans as Dan rests his forehead against hers.

"Sorry." She shoots him an apologetic smile before pushing him off her and grabbing her phone off the night table as Dan falls back on the bed, breathing heavy. His eyes fall closed and he prays that this won't take long "Shit…" The whispered swear from Blair causes his eyes to fly open because Blair Waldorf does not curse. "It's Serena…" Her name is like a bucket of cold water and Dan immediately sits up straight.

"Are you going to answer it?" Dan asks and Blair immediately shakes her head.

"I can't. Not yet. I mean, she's obviously talked to Chuck and I just… I can't deal with that yet. Chuck was also only the beginning." Blair shoots him a look. "Serena wouldn't be calling if she hadn't talked to him, which means he's probably told everyone. I wouldn't be surprised if he sent it to Gossip Girl. We'll probably be getting a blast any second."

"They were going to find out eventually, Blair. Isn't it better for them to find out sooner rather than later?"

"Oh Humphrey, your innocence is almost refreshing." She shakes her head, patting his cheek gently. "It's like you don't even realize how many people are going to have issues with this. It's certainly not just going to be Chuck."

"I know that, Blair." Dan let out a slightly frustrated sigh.

"I mean, there's Serena, obviously, Vanessa, Jenny…" Blair lists off the names.

"Look, it might be a little awkward for Serena…" Dan says seriously. "But she's dating Ben, who's living in _my_ house, which you know isn't exactly fun for anyone. So she doesn't really get the right to say anything to anybody. And as for Jenny & Vanessa… well, I'm not sure where Vanessa and I stand right now considering what she did but if she wants to be apart of my life, she's going to have accept that you're an important part of it now."

Dan brushed her hair from her face and kissed her lips softly for a few moments before Blair pushed him away.

"OK, well, what about Jenny?" Blair grimaced as she said Dan's sister's name. "I mean, she's your sister and she and I don't exactly…"

"Blair, what are you doing?" Dan asked sharply and she looked up at him in surprise. "If I didn't know better, I would think that you were trying to come up with reasons for us not to be together."

"No." Blair shook her head quickly. "I just… there are quite a few people in your life who don't exactly love me and vice versa. We're going to be getting this from all sides."

Dan looked at her for a long moment before pulling her back into his arms and she rested her head back on his chest. He knew that she had ever reason to be wary. In theory, they were completely wrong for each other but somehow they ended up being completely right.

"I can handle it, Waldorf." He murmured into her hair before kissing the top of her head softly. They're both silent for a few moments. "We are going to have to talk to all of them eventually, you know that right?"

"I know, but can't we just stay in our Brooklyn bubble for a while?" Blair peers up at him and Dan shakes his head with a smile.

"Yeah, we can do that."

Their Brooklyn bubble burst rather quickly unfortunately when Blair's phone starts ringing again and Dan's does as well, almost simultaneously.

"It's Serena again." Blair sighs. "You?"

"Nate." Dan flips the phone open and Blair's eyes widen as she moves toward him but Dan simply shakes his head, holding the phone to his ear. "Hey Nate, what's up man?"

Dan's voice is completely calm while Blair looks like she's about to have an aneurism.

"Dude, what the hell is going on?" Nate's stressed voice comes through the phone and Dan braces himself for the worst. "Chuck is pounding back scotch like it's going out of style and Serena just called freaking out because apparently Chuck walked in on you and Blair having sex?"

"We weren't having sex." Dan grumbles and Blair falls back on the bed, burying her face in the pillows. Dan rolls his eyes. And he was supposed to be the overdramatic one, yeah OK.

"Well thank God for that." Dan pulls his thoughts away from Blair and focuses back on Nate's voice. "Because, honestly man, Chuck is…"

"It was just a kiss." Dan cuts him off and his words cause Blair to shoot up off the bed and slap him as hard as she could in the arm and he throws her a dirty look.

"Oh just a kiss, huh… wait, what?" He would have chuckled at the confusion in Nate's voice but Blair's death stare is enough to kill the laughter. "Holy Crap! Are you serious? You and Blair?"

"Yes, me and Blair." Dan nods, glancing at the brunette who was seething next to him. "Although, I'm starting to seriously rethink that particular decision." He grumbles and Blair's eyes widen murderously. She mutters something under her breath before pulling herself off the bed and stalking out of the bedroom. Ah crap.

Look, Nate, this really isn't a good time. Can I talk to you later?" Dan's already making his way toward the kitchen where Blair is furiously pulling on her jacket.

"Oh shit, is Blair there?" Dan can hear the smirk in his voice. "OK, OK, I get it. Go calm her down, I know how she can get. But you might want to watch your back, man, because Chuck is out for blood and Serena is seriously flipping her shit."

"Yeah, OK, thanks for the heads up." Dan quickly shuts the phone and tosses it on the counter as Blair marches toward the door. "Blair, wait." She throws a scathing look in his direction before pulling the door open and stalking out of the loft. "Blair!" He calls, racing after her and he catches her arm just as she reaches the stairs. "Would you please stop!"

"Why? You've already started to seriously rethink this particular decision!"

Dan blanches when she spits his words back in his face and he sighs.

"I'm sorry." He whispers, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ears. "I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean it. But you were freaking out in there, like the thought of anyone knowing about us was the end of world and it just came out."

"Well how did you expect me to react, Humphrey?" Blair shakes her head. "You were just spreading our personal business to everyone."

"That wasn't me! That was your precious Chuck!" He regrets the words the second they leave his mouth. That was a low blow, he knows that, but she frustrates him so much sometimes to the point where she just brings it out of him.

"This was clearly a mistake." Blair shakes her head again, her bottom lip twitching and for a second Dan thinks she's about to cry. "We were fools to think that this could actually work. Goodbye Humphrey."

Blair turns to leave, tears filling her eyes, but Dan grabs her arm again and forces her to look at him.

"You don't mean that, do you?" His expression is almost desperate and Blair feels her chest tighten.

"Dan, it's been two hours and we're already fighting. We're never going to be able to do this." Blair stares down at her hands for a second, trying to keep her emotions in check. What was it about Dan Humphrey that threw her off kilter so much?

"But I thought that you were willing to take that risk?" Dan's voice lowers and he steps closer. "Even if we crash and burn, remember?"

"Even if we crash and burn." She whispers the words to herself before looking up at Dan. She can hear Chuck's voice in her head telling her that she and Dan were doomed to fail, but she pushes the voice away. "I'm sorry." Blair steps forward, resting her cheek on his broad chest and she can't help but notice the way the tension immediately leaves her body the moment he wraps his arms around her - it's practically instant. The realization comes as a shock to her because she really doesn't know when Dan became her rock or how it's possible for him to soothe her and set her on edge all at the same time.

"It was my fault." He murmurs into her hair, pressing a soft kiss on her temple. "I shouldn't have said any of that."

"No, you shouldn't have." Blair agrees quickly and Dan just shakes his head with a smile. "But I shouldn't have reacted like that. Old habits. I'll be better."

"Don't make promises we both know that you're not going to keep, Waldorf." Dan's lips curl into a smile and Blair can't help but laugh a little. "I don't want you to change who you are, Blair. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I kind of like you the way you are." He murmurs the last part against her lips before taking her face gently but firmly in his hands and pressing his mouth to hers in a kiss that literally makes Blair's knees week.

"Maybe we should move this back inside." He whispers, kissing her softly twice more before reaching for her hand to lead her back to the loft and again she marvels at the fact that she is holding Dan Humphrey's hand. Blair pulls her gaze up to his face she stops when she sees him staring over her shoulder. She slowly turns to find Serena standing a few steps down, staring up at the two of them with an unreadable expression.

"S…" Blair starts to pull away from Dan but he grips her hand tighter and she shoots a look in his direction but Dan simply shakes his head and the two of them have a silent argument with their eyes.

"So, Chuck was telling the truth." Serena's voice breaks up their silent war of willpower and she comes to the top of the stairs, crossing her arms over her chest. "The two of you are sleeping together."

"We're not sleeping together." Blair wrenches her hand from Dan's grip and turns to her best friend. "Look, S, this thing with me and Dan. Nothing has happened yet."

"Yet?" Serena stares at her in disbelief and Blair frowns. Clearly that was the wrong choice of words.

"We didn't plan this, Serena. It just happened." Dan speaks up and Serena turns her disbelieving gaze to the boy next to Blair.

"It just happened?" Serena scoffs before looking back to Blair. "Blair, how could you do this? It's… he's Dan!"

"I know that!" Blair exclaims, desperate for Serena to understand. "And believe me, I didn't want this, OK. You can ask him yourself. It took me months to just admit we were friends…" Blair glances quickly at her… boyfriend? Was Dan Humphrey her boyfriend now? Her head starts to spin. OK, she really couldn't even _begin_ to try and process that right now.

"Serena, we didn't do this to hurt you." Dan says slowly, lacing his fingers through Blair's again. "We both care about you and we don't want our relationship with each other to change our relationships with you."

"Your relationship?" Serena gapes at the two of them. "You're my best friend, Blair. I can't believe you would do this."

"OK, I think we all just need to calm down." Dan speaks up. "Look Serena, I understand that this has been difficult for you. But you and I aren't together and that was your choice. You know how much I care about you and I don't want to hurt you but…"

"I feel like I've stepped into the twilight zone." Serena shakes her head as Eric comes running up the stairs, slightly out of breath.

"Oh, hey guys. How's it going?" Serena's younger brother glances between the three of them.

"Eric, what are you doing here?" Serena asks, annoyance dripping from her voice.

"Oh, you know, just in the neighbourhood." Eric claps his hands with a smile and the three of them just stare. "OK, fine. Nate called me because he was afraid that you were going to do something that you would end up regreting and I was hoping that I'd be able to run interference but clearly I'm too late."

"They're the ones you should be talking to." Serena's voice is a bit shrill and Blair cringes. She knows Serena Van der Woodson and when her voice reaches that octave it means her blonde best friend was about to blow.

"Serena, stop this. You have to calm down." Eric lays a hand on his sister's arm. Blair watches the youngest Van der Woodson with mixed emotions. He had always been the most level headed of the their family and if anyone was able to reason with Serena, it was Eric, but Blair doesn't want to put him in the middle of this.

"I'm not going to calm down!" Serena shakes her head vehemently. "How can you say that to me? What if it was Jonathan and _your_ best friend? Could you just _calm _down? Would you just be able to accept that?"

"Well, if it was two people that I loved and they made each other happy, I'd like to believe that I would at the very least _try_ to be happy for them, regardless of how I felt."

Serena stares at her brother for a second before looking back at Dan and Blair and Blair searches her blonde friend's eyes, desperately searching for some kind of redemption.

"S, please…" Blair's voice cracks a little and fear courses through her whole body. Serena had to be OK with this because if she wasn't, Blair didn't know what she would do. She couldn't lose her best friend but thought of walking away from Dan made her heart hurt in a way that it hadn't since Chuck drove away from her after his father's funeral.

"Do you love him?" Serena asks slowly and Blair's mouth drops in surprise.

"What?" She struggles to say the word and she glances at very uncomfortable looking Eric, but she can't bring herself to look at Dan.

"You heard me, Blair." Serena says and the two friends stare at each other. "Do you love him?"

"Wha… I…" Blair stumbles over her words for a second. "No…" She says finally and she internally cringes when Dan stiffens next to her. "We are no where near that, Serena. But I care about him… a lot - more than I ever thought I could." Blair glances up at him with a soft smile. "He doesn't judge me, even when he has every right to. He just accepts me, flaws and all, no questions asked." Blair blinks back tears. "And he makes me laugh. When was the last time you heard me _really _laugh? After everything that has happened - Jack, Chuck, all of it - it's nice to laugh again…." Blair pauses for a second, reaching for Dan's hand. "He makes me happy, S."

The four of them are silent for a long time as they stare at each other.

"Blair, It's not that I don't want you to be happy. All I've ever wanted is for you to be happy. I just…" Serena shoots a pained look in Dan's direction. "I just don't know if I can be OK with this."

Serena turns abruptly, rushing down the stairs. Eric shoots them a sympathetic smile before taking off after his sister. Blair shoulders slump in defeat as she watches the Van der Woodson siblings disappear.

"Come on." Dan whispers, slides his arms around her, cradling her against his chest as he leads her back into the loft. "Are you OK?" He sits her down on a stool and leans down to look at her. "Blair…"

"What if she's never OK with this Dan?"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - Thank you all so much for the reviews. I can't tell you how much it's appreciated! Anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope you guys like it. Please tell me what you think - review, review, review!**

**Disclaimer: As per usual, I own nothing.**

Ever since the scene in the hall, it seemed like everyone had jumped on the avoidance train. Serena was avoiding both Blair and Dan. Blair was avoiding the penthouse, trying to give Serena her space and Dan was avoiding his dad and Lily for fear of running into Serena (or Chuck for that matter). But when his dad calls and invites him to 'family brunch', he can't really say no and he can only pray that everyone will make it through in one piece. So, being the good son that he is, Dan agrees to be at their place later that morning.

"Great. And Dan…" Rufus pauses for a second. "Be sure to let Blair know that she's invited too." Rufus hangs up and Dan stares at the phone in his hand before closing it and looking across the room to where Blair is wrapped in a blanket on his couch, nursing a cup of coffee, lost in an old Audrey Hepburn movie.

Clearly someone had told his dad (and most likely Lily) about him and Blair. His money was on Eric, who probably wanted to give their parents fair warning of what was happening. Although he wouldn't put it past Chuck to tell them and try to spin it in someway to make him and Blair look bad. In any case, they knew and now he and Blair were invited to brunch.

"Hey, what are you watching?" Dan makes his way to the living room and Blair leans forward so he can slide in behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder when she lays back against him.

"Sabrina." Blair murmurs, settling herself in his embrace. "What did Rufus want? I assume he and Lily know everything."

"Yeah." Dan nods, kissing her neck softly. "I don't know who told them but they know - or at least my dad knows so I guess Lily does too." Blair nods quietly, turning her gaze back at the television but he knows she's not really watching it. "Um, he invited us to brunch."

"Rufus invited us to brunch?" Blair looks back at him, her expression sceptical.

"Well, brunch was probably Lily's idea, but Dad made the call." Dan acknowledges and Blair nods. "It's a family brunch. Before you agreed to go, I wanted to tell you that. I mean, I don't know if Serena is going to be there but I didn't want to blind side you just in case she was."

Blair's quiet for a long moment before plastering a determined expression on her face.

"Your parents invited us to brunch, Dan, and it would be rude not to attend after you've already agreed. And if Serena is there then maybe it will give us a chance to talk. If not, we can only hope that she'll be civil because of Rufus and Lily."

Blair nods her head with an air of finality but Dan can hear the trepidation in her voice. He knows how hard this if for her; how much she misses Serena but he doesn't know what to do to fix it and he's half afraid he'll make it worse and send her running if he tries.

"I should get home and change." Blair hesitates for a split second before standing and he knows that she's worried about running into Serena. But as quick as it's there, it's gone. "I assume we're expected around 11, so you can pick me up at 10:30." Blair reaches for her coat but Dan beats her to it, holding it out for her to slip on. "Dan Humphrey, such a gentleman." Blair turns around to face him, pulling her hair out of the coat. "I'll see you later." She leans forward, her lips poised for a kiss and Dan happily obliges.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come?" Dan pulls back to look down at her and Blair shakes her head.

"No, I need to stop avoiding Serena anyway. So if she's there, she's there." Blair says with conviction. "Besides, don't you need to get changed yourself." She motions toward him and Dan looks down at his clothes.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" As soon as the words leave his mouth Dan knows that he said the wrong thng because Blair just looks at him.

"The question would be what _isn't_ wrong with what you're wearing." Blair shakes her head. "Honestly Humphrey, it baffles me that after all of these years you still think jeans and a lumberjack shirt are acceptable attire." She looks at him half amused-half appalled.

"I like this shirt." Dan pouts and Blair rolls her eyes but finds herself smiling at the sight of his bottom lips jutting out like that.

"Yes, I know you do. You have about 15 other shirts exactly like it hanging in your closet." She crosses her arms with a smug smile.

"They're not exactly the same." Dan says, a little defensively and Blair just pats his arm.

"Plaid is plaid, Humphrey." She turns away, making her way into his bedroom before coming back a few seconds later with a box in her hands.

"Here." She holds the box out to him. "When I was shopping yesterday I saw this sweater and thought it would look nice on you. I was going to give it to you later, but clearly this is an emergency."

"You bought me a sweater?" Dan looks at the box for a second before lifting his eyes back to her, a smirk playing on his lips. "Ms. Waldorf, are you trying to buy my affections?" He sets the box on the counter before moving closer to her.

"Whatever…" Blair rolls her eyes again. "Just wear the sweater." She picks up her purse, slinging it over her shoulder. "And remember, 10:30. Don't be late." She pecks his lips quickly before disappearing out the door and Dan smiles as he turns to lift the lid off the box

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Blair gingerly steps off the elevator into the penthouse and stops when she finds herself face to face with a distressed looking Dorota.

"Miss Blair…" Dorota glances over her shoulder nervously.

"Is Serena here?" Blair's eyes dart to the staircase and she half expects to find the tall blonde waiting for her.

"No, no. Not Miss Serena." Dorota shakes her head before leaning in to whisper. "It's Mr. Chuck."

Blair freezes and looks at Dorota. She must be hearing things.

"Chuck is here?" Blair feels a little light headed. "Where?"

Dorota points upstairs silently and Blair rushes up the stairs as fast as she can. She turns the corner into her room and stops dead in her tracks when she sees Chuck sitting on her bed.

"Chuck, what are you doing here? It's barely 9:30 in the morning." Blair asks, shaking her head as she looked at his dishevelled state. "Have you been drinking this early?"

"Define early? Does it count if it's a continuation from the night before?"

"You've been drinking since yesterday?" Blair stares at him, conflicted. Her first instinct is to go to him and wrap her arms around him but she fights the urge.

"Where have you been?" Chuck finally seems to realize that she's just gotten home as he eyes her coat. "Did you just do the walk of shame from Brooklyn?" He says the last word like it leaves a bad taste in his mouth. "It certainly didn't take you long to hop into bed with Humphrey, did it?"

Blair closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before slowly letting it out in an attempt to stay calm.

"Not that it's any of your business, Chuck, but yes, I did spend the night with Dan and no, I did not do the walk of shame because Dan and I haven't slept together yet." Chuck's eyes light up at the revelation and Blair immediately regrets opening her mouth.

"You spent the whole night in Humphrey's bed and he didn't try to sleep with you? Is that what you're telling me, Blair?" Chuck rises to his feet and slowly comes toward her.

"We don't want to rush it." Blair's voice comes out with a lot less conviction then she intended and she glances toward the door in the vain hope that Dorota would appear.

"Maybe. Or maybe you're little Brooklyn boy isn't as over Serena as he wants you to believe." Chuck leans forward to whisper in her ear and Blair can smell the scotch on his breath. "Maybe he took one look at Serena's broken hearted face and just couldn't bring himself to touch you."

His fingers dance on her hips and Blair slaps them away with a glare.

"Not everything is about Serena!" She snaps, heat rising in her cheeks and she silently curses the slight hitch in her voice.

Blair would be lying if she said the thought hadn't crossed her mind. Of course she wondered if Dan was still in love with Serena. But she couldn't bring herself to ask him because she didn't think she wanted to know the answer. It wasn't like Blair could be upset with him if he did still have feelings her best friend, considering her own lingering feelings for the billionaire in front of her so she figures, for right now, it's better not to know.

"You don't seem too convinced, B." Chuck eyes her and she turns away from him. "Let Serena have him if she wants him because you can't honestly tell me that Dan Humphrey knows how to make you feel the way that I did." Chuck is suddenly pressed against her back. His hands are gripping her hips tightly and his lips are brushing against her neck as he speaks.

Blair can't stop her eyes from closing but the second they do, Dan's face flashes through her mind and a wave of regret hits her like a ton of bricks.

"Chuck, stop!" Blair pushes away and spins around to look at him, her eyes flashing. "You can't do this to me anymore. This isn't high school and we're not in the middle of a blackout. I'm not going to do this to Dan. I _won't_ do this to Dan."

"Blair…" Chuck reaches for her again and she pushes him away roughly.

"Stop!" Blair stares up at him, silently pleading. "Chuck, please just stop. You're drunk and you need to go. I have to be at Lily's in a hour and Dan's picking me up soon. You can't be here when he shows up. Please just go."

Blair gives him one last look before heading into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her, leaning against it as she lets out a shaky breath. When she emerges, fully dressed awhile later, she half expects to find Chuck still waiting for her but her room is empty. Glancing at her watch she quickly grabs her coat and purse and heads downstairs where she finds Dan waiting patiently in the living room.

"You're late." He says with a smile as he stands and she notices that he's wearing the black cashmere sweater she bought him.

"Sorry." She sends him an apologetic smile before motioning toward the sweater. "See, you should let me dress you more often. That sweater looks great on you."

"Yeah, it's not bad." He slides his arms around her waist with a smile and Blair looks up at him. She has to tell him, she knows that but she really doesn't want to. "Hey, what's going on?" Dan lifts her chin to look into her eyes. "Is it Serena? Was she here, did you have a fight?"

"No." Blair shakes her head. "Serena wasn't here when I got home, Chuck was." Blair braces herself for Dan's reaction. He just stares at her for a second, almost like he's trying to process what she just said to him.

"Chuck was here? Chuck? As in, Chuck Bass?" Dan's jaw tightens and Blair nods. "And what was Chuck doing here?"

"Just being Chuck…" Blair shakes her head, not going to into further detail because she knows that it will only serve to upset Dan even more. "Don't even think about it, OK. I just didn't want you find out somewhere else and think I was keeping it from you."

"I'm glad you told me." Dan kisses her temple.

"Come on. We need to get going or we're going to be late." Blair slips her hand into Dan's and allows him to lead her to elevator.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Are you ready?" Dan looks at her as they ride the elevator to Lily and Rufus' apartment, taking her hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess." Blair takes a breath as the doors open and they step inside to be greeted by Eric.

"Hey guys." He gives them a uncomfortable smile.

"Hi Eric." Blair looks at him for a second. "What's that look about? What's going on?"

"I just wanted to give you guys a heads up about something…" Eric glances over his shoulder anxiously. "See…"

"Serena's here." Dan supplies and Eric looks at him.

"Well, yes, but that's not all…" Before Eric can finish the sentence Chuck comes sauntering down the stairs.

"Well, if it isn't the happy couple." Chuck smirks as he stops in front of them, taking a long sip from the glass in his hand.

"What are you doing here?" Blair hisses, which causes Chuck to smirk again.

"Well it's a 'family brunch', Waldorf. Lily was kind enough to invite me, I couldn't refuse." Chuck turns to Dan, his eyes full of disdain. "You're pretty happy with yourself right now, aren't you Humphrey? Well, you should enjoy it while you can because it won't last. One of these days, Blair is going to realize that she and I belong together and you're going to be left out in the cold where you belong. So you should really prepare yourself for that."

"Chuck!" Eric grabs his arm, pulling him away from the couple. "What is the matter with you?"

"I'm done anyway." Chuck looks at Dan and Blair once more before heading into the living room to sit down. Blair closes her eyes for a second and she wills herself not to break down.

"Hey, don't worry about him." Dan whispers in her ear, wrapping his arm around her and she relishes the warmth that spreads through her.

"Daniel! Blair! You're here." They both look up at the sound of Lily's voice and find her coming in from the kitchen with Rufus and Serena behind her.

"Hi, Lily. Rufus." Blair greets them with a smile and she hesitates for a second as she looks at Serena. "Hey, S."

"Blair." Serena quickly turns away, pouring herself a glass of juice.

"Well…" Lily says after a brief moment of silence. "Now that everyone's here shall we eat."

The meal is awkward at best, downright awful at worst. Between Chuck's constant jabs and Serena's complete silence, Blair is exhausted by the time they're finished eating. Sighing heavily, Blair slipped outside to the terrace for some air. She shakes her head when she hears the door open and Chuck steps out.

"I can't do this right now, Chuck. I'm too tired." Blair sighs again and turns to go back inside but Chuck grabs her arm gently.

"Blair, you're too good for him." His voice is low and Blair looks up at him for a second before shaking her head.

"Funny, because that's exactly what he said about you." The two of them are stuck in a staring contest for a few moments before Chuck looks away.

"He's never going to love you the way I do. Just look at him." Chuck points to the window and Blair glances over to see Serena and Dan in a heated discussion inside. "He's always going to love her. Why would you want to be second?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm just used to it, seeing as I spent years always coming in second with you. First it was your business, then Eva, then Raina…" Blair blinks back tears. "And you have the gall to wonder why I chose Dan. This is why I chose him. Because if the roles were reversed, Chuck, if I had chosen you, Dan would never do this to me. He would never try to hurt me like this. That's the difference between the two of you." She pushes past him, leaving him alone on the terrace. Serena's gone by the time she gets to the living and she finds Dan sitting alone on the couch.

"Hey." He looks up when she comes in and frowns when he sees the expression on her face. "What happened?"

"Nothing, just… Chuck." She glances toward the window and she sees Chuck still on the terrace, nursing his glass. "Where did Serena go? It looked like you guys were arguing?"

"Yeah, I was just making a futile attempt to reason with her." Dan shakes his head and Blair sits down next him. "I'm sorry that you have to go through this. I know how much it hurts you to be fighting with her."

"Yeah, well, Chuck's not exactly making your life easy either." Blair rests her head on his shoulder. "We both knew the risks when we decided to do this, right?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After they leave Lily's, Blair tells Dan that she's going to take a walk in the park.

"Did you want me to come?" He offers but Blair shakes her head.

"No. I just need some air. I'll meet you back at the loft, OK?" She smiles, leaning up to brush her lips across his. Dan looks at her and she can see the questions in his eyes. "I'm fine, I promise."

Dan reluctantly agrees and kisses her once more before heading toward the subway. Blair makes her way toward Central Park and she doesn't realize where she's going until she ends up in the same alcove where her and Serena met all those years ago, right after the blonde had gotten back from boarding school. Absentmindedly, Blair wonders if Serena still has the letter she gave her that day - not that it really matters.

Sighing, Blair sank onto the bench and leaned back, closing her eyes.

"Hey." Her eyes snap open at the sound of Serena's voice, who's standing not far away from her.

"Hey." Blair sits up straight as Serena sits down next to her and both girls are quiet for a long time.

"This thing with you and Dan, it's real, isn't it?" Serena asks finally and Blair looks at her for a second before nodding.

"Yeah, I think so." Blair says quietly. "I really need you to be OK with this, S, because I don't want to lose you, but I don't want to lose him either and I just don't know what to do."

"You could never lose me, Blair." Serena looks at her with tears swimming in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for not being the kind of friend I should have been; for not being the kind of friend that you deserved and I'm sorry for the way I acted. I had no right, especially considering everything that I've done to you. I was just so shocked and having to hear it from Chuck didn't help, not that that's an excuse. But, you know what, it doesn't matter. What matters is that Dan makes you happy and you deserve to be happy." Serena reaches over and rests her hand on Blair's. "You make him happy, too." Blair looks up at her and Serena smiles. "I was finally able to really see that when I was watching the two of you today. Your whole face lights up when you're with him. It's like watching a whole new you. And his whole demeanour changes the second you walk in the room. He gets this expression on his face when he talks about you. And the way he looks at you… in all the years I've known him, I've don't think I've ever seen him look at anyone like that, me included. He completely adores you, Blair. He would move mountains for you if you asked him to."

"Serena, are you sure? Because if you're not…" Blair blinks back tears as she looks at her best friend.

"I'm sure. I promise" Serena interrupts her, scooting closer on the bench and wrapping her arm around her, resting her head against Blair's.

"Thank you, S." Blair hugs her as tightly as she can. "Thank you."

"Of course." Serena smiles. "Do you think we could get out of here, though? I'm freezing." Serena asks and Blair nods wth a smile. Both girls get to their feet and Serena slips her arm through Blair's as they start walking. "So, are you going to tell me how this happened? I mean, it's you and Dan? There's gotta be a story there."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N - Ahhh, we're so close to Dan & Blair although I have a very bad feeling that nothing is going to happen with them this episode. But a girl can dream. LOL. Anyway, here's chapter 4. I wrote and rewrote this chapter at least 3 times before finally getting it just the way I wanted and to be honest I probably could have given it another review but I'm just tired of staring at the screen. I hope you guys like the direction I'm taking the story. I've already started chapter 5 so hopefully that will be up reasonably soon. Please review! I'll love you forever :)**

**P.S. This chapter is why I changed the rating to M. :)**

**Disclaimer - I own nothing. If I did, there would be some serious Dair kissage tonight. LOL. **

**One Month Later**

"Hello?" Dan looks up from his laptop when the door to the loft opens and he smiles when Blair sticks her head in.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" He rises from the table to greet her.

"My afternoon class was cancelled, so I thought I'd slum it in Brooklyn for a while." Blair teases as she moves easily into his arms. "I'm not interrupting, am I?"

"Never." Dan murmurs against her lips before kissing her. It was a soft kiss, but one full of emotion and Blair finds herself deepening it to the point where, when they finally break away, they're out of breath. "You know, I missed you this morning. I've gotten used to waking up with you next to me."

"Well, a girl can only sleep on 200 thread count sheets for so many nights before needing to get back to her 700 count Egyptian cotton." Blair smiles sweetly and Dan just shakes his head.

"Right, I keep forgetting that you're 'slumming it' in Brooklyn." He kisses her once more before heading back to his laptop.

"What are you working on?" Blair drops her bag on a chair and proceeds to take off her coat, hanging on the rack next to the door.

"A paper for my lit class." Dan flips through the book on the table.

"When's it due?" Blair kicks off her shoes as Dan glances up at her quickly when she does so. He can't help but smile when he watches her pad across the room toward him, mostly because he loves the fact that she's comfortable enough here that she'll just kick off her shoes and make herself at home (and she only makes cracks about it being a health hazard every once in a while now).

"Oh, not for like a month. I just want to get a head start." Dan leans back in his chair as she approaches. "It's worth 50% of my overall grade so I can't mess it up."

"Well, do you absolutely need to work on that right now?" Blair gently pushes the laptop away from him and slides into his lap, running her fingers through his hair.

"Ugh, no…" Dan shakes his head with a smile. "I… ugh… I absolutely do not need to work on this right now." It's Blair's turn to smile when Dan cups her face in his hands and pulls her face towards his to kiss her again.

Dan pulls back slightly when Blair's tiny hands reach for his shirt, slowly unbuttoning it.

"What are you doing there?" He glances down at her hands before looking back at her face and Blair stops what she's doing to look at him.

"Wow, if you have to ask, Humphrey, we could have a problem here." Blair raises an eyebrow at him as a smile spreads across her face.

"Ha, ha." Dan's eyes narrow at her playfully. "Seriously, Blair. What are we doing here?"

"What does it look like?" Blair presses her mouth against his as she finishes unbuttoning his shirt and she runs her hands up his broad chest just as he grips the back of her head, holding her in place, and their tongues battle for dominance. Blair's lips are still firmly attached to Dan's as she shifts in his lap, moving so that she's straddling him and Dan lets out a choked groan when she rocks herself against him.

"Blair, we don't have to do this." Dan brushes the hair out of her face as he looks up at her, searching her eyes. "I know sex isn't something that you take lightly and I don't want to rush you. I'm not going anywhere. I can wait."

"I know you can, but I don't want you to." Blair rests her forehead against his. "Dan, you have been so amazing to me and I know that you have to be frustrated, but you haven't pressured me once. The truth is, I was really nervous about taking this step because it's only been a month and you are Dan Humphrey and I am Blair Waldorf and I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"The other shoe to drop?" Dan looks at her, slightly confused.

"Yes, the other shoe - I kept waiting for you to realize that I wasn't worth all of the crap that you've had to take from Chuck or for Serena to realize that she wanted you back…" Blair drops her head and Dan stares at her for a second before lifting her chin to look at her.

"First of all, Blair Waldorf is always worth it." Dan rests his hands on her hips and leans forward to kiss her mouth gently. "And second, Serena? Where did that come from? Or do I even have to ask?" Dan shakes his head with a sigh and Blair opens her mouth to speak but he places to fingers on her lips to stop her. "That's Chuck talking, Blair. It doesn't take a genius to know that he's been whispering in your ear every day since we got together, trying to get you to doubt me. I just had hoped that you wouldn't listen to him."

"Well, considering your history with her, it's kind of hard not to. Plus, she's Serena. If history tells us anything, it's that if someone is given the choice between me and Serena, they're going to choose her." Blair looks away and Dan frowns. He hates that she's so insecure about Serena. Even though her blonde best friend gave them her blessing a long time ago, he always knew that Blair was still uneasy about his past with her. He just didn't realize how much. And of course Chuck, being the bastard that he is, preyed on that insecurity the way he always does.

"I. Don't. Want. Serena." He says the words slow and deliberately to try and get his point across.

"You've said that before and you always end up going back to her…" Blair stares at him with pained eyes. "She was your first love, Dan, and I'm not judging you, because I know how hard is to let go of that. So I'm not mad at you. I just…"

"You know, for someone so smart, Blair, you can be awfully dense sometimes." Dan took her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. "Yes, Serena was my first love and I will always care about her, but I don't have those feelings for her anymore."

"Dan, those feelings don't just magically go away." Blair shakes her head and for a second Dan wonders who she's talking about now - him or her.

"They didn't just magically go away." Dan tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and his heart feels like it's about to burst out of his chest it's pounding so fast. "Blair, they went away when I realized that I was falling for you." Blair doesn't speak and for a split second Dan thinks that she's going to bolt and he unconsciously tightens his hold on her. "I'm crazy about you, Blair Waldorf. I don't even think you know how much."

Blair is quiet for a long time as she looks him. She wishes that she knew how to properly express how she feels about him. She can't say that she loves him because that's not even something she's ever really let herself consider, but whatever it is, it's the closest thing to love that she's felt in a long time and she hates herself for not being able to tell him just how much he means to her. So instead she leans forward and presses her mouth to his, softly. If she can't tell him with words, maybe she can show him.

Without speaking, Blair pulled away, standing up and holding her hand out to Dan with a smile. He follows her silently into his bedroom and stands, watching her as she closes the door and turns to look at him.

"Blair, you don't have to do this…" Dan begins but Blair silences him by wrapping her arms around his neck and lifting herself up to kiss him again.

"I want to do this." She pulls away, running her fingers through his hair. "Dan, I don't know how to put into words how I feel about you. All I know is that I want to be with you… right now. I want to share this moment with you."

Dan searches her eyes for any sign of doubt. He'd be lying through his teeth if he said that he didn't want to be with Blair. Of course he did. He's wanted to be with her every single day for the last month but he doesn't want her to do this for the wrong reasons.

"I just don't want you to think that I'm expecting this." He brushes the hair from her face and Blair smiles up at him.

"I know you don't. I was ready before I ever came here today. And I'm even more ready now." She murmurs, kissing his chest softly and sliding his shirt off his shoulders and down his arms, dropping it to the floor. That's all of the confirmation Dan needs as he grips her shoulders tightly, crashing his lips against hers. His tongue glides across her teeth, silently asking permission and he smiles when Blair immediately grants it. His hands move slowly to rest on her hips for a brief moment, before he wraps his arms around her waist, crushing her against his larger frame. He's held her like this so many times now that he's lost count, but every single time it shocks him at how tiny she is. Blair is by no means fragile and he knows that is fully capable of taking care of herself, but when he's holding her like this he's filled with an overwhelming urge to protect her with everything that's in him.

Dan pulls his mouth from hers to move to a certain spot on her neck that he's learned is her weak spot and Blair lets out a happy sigh. He can't help but wonder if he's the first to kiss her there; if he was the first to discover that particular pleasure point on her body. Jealousy bubbles inside of him at the thought of Chuck kissing her in that particular spot and, in some sick way, it only serves to fuel his desire to prove to her that he can give her more pleasure than Chuck Bass ever could. His hands move to the hem of her sweater and he easily pulls it over her head, tossing it over his shoulder before pulling her back flush against him. The feel of her bare skin on his sends a rush through Dan like he has never known and it causes him to attack her mouth again, trying to taste as much of her as possible as he slowly walks her backward toward the bed.

Blair feels the back of her legs hit Dan's bed and she falls back, pulling him with her, eager to feel him against her again. She can feel his erection against her stomach and her heart starts to pound because she knows that she's about to sleep with Dan and instead of the paralyzing fear that she thought she would feel, anticipation courses through her veins and she can't stop herself from reaching for the button on his jeans.

"Hey…" Dan's larger hands stop her movements and she looks up at him with wide eyes. "There's no need to rush. We've got lots of time." His voice is soft and Blair feels her stomach tighten when she looks up and sees something in his eyes that makes her heart lurch. After that, words are few and far between. Dan kisses her again, his lips barely brushing hers before he slowly proceeds to continue to undress her, kissing ever inch of body as he does so. His hands are rough, a sure sign that he's not a Upper East Side trust fund baby, but in that moment, Blair is sure she's never experienced anything more amazing then the feel of Dan's slightly callused hands brushing across her skin. And just when Blair feels like she's about to lose her mind, Dan finally pushes his own jeans and boxers off and reaches toward the night stand, pulling a condom out of the drawer and sliding it on. His eyes search hers one last time for any sign of doubt as he positions himself on top of her but Blair simply smiles and leans up to kiss him, silently encouraging him.

Her eyes widen and a gasp escapes her lips as he slowly pushes into her and Dan buries his face in her neck, breathing in her sent as he lays still for a moment, allowing her a moment to adjust to him before slowly beginning to move inside of her. Almost like it had a mind of its own, Dan's right hand finds Blair's left and he laces their fingers together while his left reaches up to brush the hair from her face. He wants to go slow, to savour this moment with her, but the sight of Blair writhing under him, panting and moaning his name, causes him to thrust harder, faster, almost desperate. The action seems to spur Blair on because she meets him thrust for thrust.

"Dan…. Oh God…" the words die in Blair's throat as Dan crashes his lips against her, his tongue delving in to explore her mouth again. When he pulls away, he sees tears in Blair's eyes and without thinking he reaches up to wipe them away. His movements slowing to a slow and deliberate pace. He wants to draw this experience out for her as long as possible but can feel her body ever so slowly start to tighten around him and watches her face clench in determination as she bites down on her lip hard.

"It's OK, Blair. Just let go." Dan whispers. Their eyes meet and Blair opens her mouth as if she's going to say something but she hesitates for a second and then pulls his face to hers, kissing him hard as she rocks her hips against his in a frenzy, chasing her release. She lets out a strangled cry that sounds vaguely like his name when she finally comes and Dan decides that the sight of Blair Waldorf becoming completely unhinged beneath him is the single sexiest thing he has ever seen in his whole life. His own orgasm follows close behind and he pulls her close, burying his face in her neck as he moans her name over and over. They stay that way for a long moment before Dan reluctantly pushes himself off of her.

"Oh My God, Dan. That was…" Blair just looks at him as he collapses next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Amazing. That was amazing."

"You were amazing." Dan murmurs against her skin and Blair smiles as she sinks back into him.

"Hmm, I never thought that I would ever do that with a Humphrey." Blair turns her head, a playful smile on her face.

"Yeah, well I never thought I would do that with a Waldorf." Dan smirks down at her and Blair laughs, settling back into his arms and closing her eyes. He watches her for a long time, gently running his fingers through her dark hair. He meant what he'd said to her early. He was crazy about this girl but the truth was it went so much further than that.

"Stop staring, Humphrey. It's creepy." Blair says without opening her eyes and Dan smiles.

"Blair…" His voice is low and Blair slowly opens her eyes to find him staring down at her with a serious expression. "Blair, you know I how I said that I knew I was over Serena when I realized that I was falling for you?" He asks and Blair just looks at him, nodding silently. "What I should have said was that I knew I was over Serena when I realized I was in love with you."

There's complete silence in the room for a few seconds.

Dan, I…" Blair says finally as she turns to look him at him fully.

"You don't have to say anything." Dan whispers, leaning forward to kiss her again. " I know that it's only been a month and it is way too early for me to be saying this but it's the truth. And I know that you're still figuring stuff out and that's OK. I don't expect you to say it back. I know that you're not ready for that. But after what just happened between us, I needed you to know that I love you, that I'm _in_ love with you. You're the most important thing in my life now, Blair, and I don't want you to ever doubt that."

Dan's lips brush across her temple as he pulls her back into his arms and Blair rests her head on his chest. _I'm in love with you. You're the most important thing in my life now, Blair, and I don't want you to ever doubt that._ She replays his words as she listens to his breathing even out and Blair presses herself closer, tears filling her eyes when Dan tightens his arms around her in his sleep and the same thought echoed in her mind over and over as sleep overtook her - Dan loved her.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N - YAH for the Dair kiss last night! That made me so freaking happy - I thought it was perfect for those two. It's gonna be a LONG six weeks. I may have to break out the DVDs and just go back and watch the Dair scenes to get my fix. :) **

**So, I've been on this crazy writing kick and I don't really know where it came from. I've never updated a story this quickly before. I guess Dair just brings it out of me. Anyway, here's chapter 5. I like the way it turned out, although it's not at at all what I initally had planned. It kind of took on a life of its own when I started writing. I'm not too sure about Blair in this chapter. She's a little out of character (or at least that's how it felt to me when I was writing) but I guess this is the version of Blair that I think Dan could bring out in her, if that makes sense? Anyway, I'm going to stop rambling and let you read. I hope you enjoy. Please take the time to review - good, bad, whatever I want to hear it! Oh and excuse any typos - I think I got them all but I may have missed a couple.**

**Disclaimer - I own nothing.**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX **

Dan wakes a few hours later to find Blair's side of the bed empty. He looks around for a second before climbing out of bed, pulling on his boxers and jeans and making his way toward the living room.

He finds Blair in the kitchen, sitting at the counter with a cup of tea, wearing only his flannel shirt and he can't help but smile because (a) the sight of Blair in his clothes is pretty sexy and (b) Blair Waldorf is wearing plaid flannel and he's pretty sure that's one of the signs of the apocalypse.

"What are you doing out here by yourself?" He murmurs into her ear and Blair turns to give him a small smile.

"I didn't want to wake you." She says quietly before turning back to her tea and Dan frowns.

"What's going on, Blair?" He moves around to the other side of the island to look at her and Blair's quiet for a long moment as she looks at him.

"Nothing." She says finally, shaking her head and plastering a smile on her face that causes Dan's blood to run cold. He knows that smile all too well - that's the Upper East Side fake smile that she puts on when she's miserable but doesn't want anyone to know.

"I know what you're doing." Dan says seriously, leaning forward to rest his hand over hers. "This is about what I said, right? You're freaked out because I told you that I loved you."

"Dan, it's not…" Blair begins but is cut off by the door opening and Serena and Ben walking in, laughing about something.

"Oh My God!" Serena gasps and spins around at the sight of Blair in nothing but Dan's shirt and Dan shirtless. "Sorry, sorry. We didn't mean to…" She mumbles, pushing Ben toward the door again but Blair stops her.

"No, S, it's OK. You don't have to go. You're not interrupting." Blair stands and Dan shoots her a look, which she steadfastly ignores. "We shouldn't be out here like this anyway. I'm going to go get dressed." She throws a quick glance in Dan's direction before heading toward his room.

Dan doesn't even acknowledge Serena or Ben as he follows after her, shutting the door with a bang that causes Blair to jump.

"What the hell, Blair?" Dan's voice is tight and Blair looks at him, her expression almost confused, which only serves to infuriate him. "Don't do that! Don't look at me like you don't know what I'm talking about! Just talk to me, Blair. If you are freaking out, that's OK. But at least give me enough credit to tell me that!"

"Dan, I…" Blair begins again but breaks off and he can see her mind working over time to try and come up with something to say to him. "Look, I really don't want to do this with Serena and Ben in the next room."

"I don't care who's in the next room!" Dan can feel his patience starting to wear thin as he looks at her. "I'm not going to let you do this."

"Do what?" Blair crosses her arms defensively and Dan rolls his eyes. This girl was so frustrating sometimes he could scream.

"I just wanted you to know how I felt, Blair." Dan runs his hand over his face with a sigh. "If I had known that you were going to react like this, I never would have said anything."

"Are you taking it back?" Blair's voice is barely a whisper and for a second Dan thinks that he imagined the whole thing as Blair sits on the edge of his bed, staring down at her hands. "I would understand you know, if you wanted to. I mean, if you just said it because you were on a high from the sex or something…"

Dan stares at her for a second before sighing again. She lifts her head and he feels like he's been punched in the stomach when she looks at him with those big doe eyes of hers and once again all he wants to do is wrap his arms around her and protect her from the world.

"Of course I'm not taking it back." Dan slowly makes his way across the room to sit next to her. "Blair, I meant what I said to you. I love you, that's not going to change just because you've decided to go a little crazy on me here."

"It's just…" Blair looks up at him for a moment before looking away. "You know what, never mind." Blair shakes her head quickly before standing but Dan grabs her hand.

"Blair, just talk to me…" He forces her to look at him. She's about to bolt, he can see it in her eyes but he refuses to let her do this.

"It's nothing, I just… I guess I just wasn't expecting it that's all." She pauses for a second as she looks at him. "I'm fine. I promise." She kisses his mouth quickly before gathering her clothes and disappearing into the bathroom to shower.

Dan falls back onto the bed with a sigh. What the hell was he thinking?

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Hey, man? Are you even listening?"

Dan looks up with a start at the sound of Nate's voice and he smiles sheepishly at his friend, who's watching him with an amused smile on his face.

"Sorry." Dan runs his hand through his hair. "My head's not here. I just have a lot on my mind."

"And by a lot, I assume you mean Blair." Nate leans back in his chair with a smile, taking a sip of coffee.

"Is it that obvious?" Dan shakes his head, running his hand over his face wearily. "I don't know what's wrong with me, Nate. I feel like I'm losing my mind."

"What's going on? Are you and Blair fighting or something?" Nate asks and Dan looks at him for a second, thinking about the question.

"No, not really… I… I don't know… I think I really fucked up, Nate." Dan drops his head into his hands.

"What the hell did you do?" Nate's tone has an edge to it and Dan looks up to find his friend watching him closely. "Dan, I know we're friends and all, but if you hurt her…"

Dan's silent for a moment as he looks at Nate and he can't help but smile at other boy's protectiveness over Blair.

"Blair and I slept together…" Dan begins and Nate lets out a disgusted grunt as he holds his hand up.

"Dude, I do not want to hear about your sex life with Blair…" Nate gives him a look before pausing. "Wait a second? How did you fuck that up?" Nate's eyes widen in realization. "Oh crap, did you like…"

"No!" Dan says a bit too loudly and a few people turn to look at them. "Can we please move past the sex." Dan sighs and Nate just looks at him. "It's not about the sex OK. I mean, that was amazing, unbelievable. It's afterward that's the problem. I told her I loved her."

Nate's silent for a few seconds and he looks like he's trying to process what Dan just said.

"OK…" Nate says slowly, looking a little confused. "I don't really understand what the problem is. I mean, you love Blair. I think that's pretty awesome. Did she not say it back or something?"

"No, but in her defence I told her not to." Dan runs his fingers through his hair again. "I know she's not ready to tell me that but it's just… I don't know… I had to tell her because it seems like lately every time I turn around, there's Chuck telling her that he loves her and that 'their inevitable'. He started filling her head with this crap about me and Serena and I just had to tell her."

"So, you told Blair that you loved her because of Chuck?" Nate stares at him almost in disbelief.

"No!" Dan says immediately, shaking his head. "I told her because I love her and I want her to know that. But ever since I feel like she's been pulling away from me."

"So, she's been avoiding you?" Nate asks, taking another drink.

"No, not in the physical sense anyway." Dan shakes his head. "Physically she's there but… I don't know. I should have just kept my mouth shut because now I've freaked her out and I've probably pushed her right back to Chuck."

Dan lets out a frustrated groan as he drops his head into his hands.

"Alright man, look, I'm going to be straight up with you." Nate says seriously and Dan looks at him. "Chuck, for all of his faults, does love Blair." Dan opens his mouth to speak but Nate keeps right on going. "I could sit here and tell you that it's all a game for him; that he only wants her because he can't have her but I really don't think that's true. It's messed up, and probably unhealthy, but he does love her as much as it's possible for Chuck to love anyone." Nate pauses for a second as Dan stares at him. Was this Nate's idea of a pep talk? "Look, Chuck is my best friend and I would take a bullet for him, but that doesn't mean that I think he's good for her because he's not. He has hurt her so many times and so badly that if it was anyone else I'd wonder how they were still standing. Of course Blair's going to be gun shy about love. Every person that she has ever loved has hurt her, Dan, and I have to include myself on that list. She's probably thinking that if she lets herself fall in love with you, she's going to end up getting clobbered again."

"Maybe…" Dan sighs again. "I can just feel her drifting further and further away from me."

"Do you honestly love her?" Nate asks seriously and Dan nods. "Then give her the space she needs. I know Blair, I can read her pretty well after all these years and I've never seen her as happy as she is when she's with you. Blair is an enigma, you know that. She's got a lot of walls up, walls that she put up because of me and because of Chuck, but if you can get passed them, if you can knock those walls down, you won't find anyone who's got a bigger heart."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Blair, what is going on?" Serena appears in her room a few days after the incident at the loft.

That's what she's started calling it - 'the incident' - because she doesn't know what else to call it. She doesn't know how to define the moment when Dan told her he loved her for the first time and afterward all she could think about was Chuck.

She knows that she's hurting Dan. She can see it in his eyes but she knows that he would never say anything to her. Why? Because he loves her. She's still trying to wrap her head around that. How could Dan Humphrey love her? Dan was good and decent and she was… Blair Waldorf, Queen Bitch of the Upper East Side. Yes, she and Dan had fun together and yes, she cared about him. But love?

"Blair!" Serena says again and Blair looks up at her with a start. "What is going on with you and Dan?"

"Nothing." Blair shrugs before pulling herself off the bed and making her way toward the door but Serena grabs her hand, forcing her to stop.

"Hey, B, you can talk to me about Dan. I know that I wasn't supportive initially but you are my best friend, you can talk to me about anything." Serena looks at her with worried eyes. "I know something's up. Clearly you guys were fighting the other day, although it looked like you had just finished doing something else entirely so that was kind of confusing." Serena pulls her toward the bed and forces her to sit down. "Talk to me, Blair. Tell me what happened."

"Dan told me that he loved me." Blair says quietly and Serena looks at her in surprise for a second before sitting down next to her.

"B, that's great." Serena gives her a genuine smile, wrapping her arm around her shoulder. "Of course he loves you. What man in his right man wouldn't?" Serena smiles again but Blair just looks at her and the smile fades from the blonde's face. "Is that the problem? Do you not feel the same way?"

"I don't know…" Blair shrugs, blinking back tears. "Sometimes I think that I could but…"

"Chuck?" Serena offers and Blair nods silently, brushing the tears from her face. "Oh B." Serena whispers, pulling her into a hug and Blair clings to her. "So, what are you saying? Are you saying that you're still in love with Chuck?"

"We're Chuck and Blair. Blair and Chuck. We're inevitable." Blair shrugs helplessly. "I've spent the last four years being in love with Chuck Bass. I don't think I know how to not be." Blair pauses for a second to take a breath. "And then there's Dan. I mean... he's Dan and I just don't know what to do."

"B, I can't tell you what to do here." Serena looks at her sympathetically. "You and Chuck have a very complicated history, one that you can't just sweep under the rug and pretend like it never happened. I know how much you loved him and I know how hard you've struggled to let that go. But I've also watched you with Dan. He brings out a side of you that I have never seen. Do you remember what you told me when I confronted the two of you? You told me that he made you happy. And he does make you happy, Blair, happier than I have ever seen you. So, I think that you have to ask yourself, are you and Chuck really inevitable or is it possible for you to let someone else in your heart?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Blair takes a breath as the elevator door opens and steps into Chuck and Nate's apartment.

"Blair, to what do I know this lovely pleasure." Chuck appears in the hall, a small smile on his face. "Have you finally come to your senses about Humphrey?"

"What do you want from me, Chuck?" Blair pushes passed him and Chuck just looks at her. "Honestly, what is it that you want from me? Because for the last month it seems like every waking moment there you are, telling me you love me and telling me that Dan's no good for me, pointing out his flaws and I need to know why."

"Blair, you know why. It's because…" Chuck begins and Blair lets out a frustrated scream.

"Right, because we're Chuck and Blair. Blair and Chuck. We're inevitable." Blair pauses for a second and tears fill her eyes as she looks at the boy in front of her. "Dan told me he loved me, Chuck. He told me that he was in love with me. There were no mind games attached. He didn't put me through months of emotional turmoil first. He just said it. He said it like it was the most natural thing in the world for him to say. He said it because he just wanted me to know how he felt."

"And what exactly did you say in response?" Chuck asks, his jaw tight and Blair looks at him for a moment.

"Nothing. I said nothing." She swipes quickly at her cheeks. "And the craziest part was he understood that. He understood that I couldn't say it back, but he still said it."

"Well, the fact that you couldn't say it back to him should tell you something." Chuck pours himself a glass of scotch and turns to face her. "It's not like you actually love him, Blair. Clearly Humphrey has fallen pretty hard for you, so don't you think it's only fair for you to cut him loose now before he gets more attached and ends up getting hurt even more."

"Right, like you care if Dan gets hurt." Blair scoffs and Chuck just looks at her before shrugging.

"True, I don't care whether Humphrey gets hurt, but you have clearly come to feel something for him and I don't want you to get hurt, Blair." Chuck moves toward her and Blair resists the urge to step back. She couldn't let Chuck control her actions anymore.

"Do you know why I'm here, Chuck?" Blair's voice is quiet as she looks up at him. "I came here because I had to see what it was about you that keeps pulling me in. Dan told me that he knew he was over Serena when he realized that he was in love with me. That's when _I_ realized that Dan has actually been thinking about our future. He believes that we have one…"

"And the fact that you're here shows that you think something else." Chuck reaches to brush the hair from her face with a smile.

"But that's just it. I never really thought about my future with Dan. I never thought about it because every time I started to, I kept hearing your voice in my head telling me that we were inevitable. So I wouldn't even let myself consider the possibility of falling in love with Dan because I didn't see the point. I didn't see the point of falling in love with him if I was only going to lose him." Blair closes her eyes for a second before slowly opening them.

"I'm not entirely sure how you want me to respond to this, Blair?" Chuck's voice is tense as Blair looks at him.

"I don't know how we got here, Chuck." Blair shakes her head slowly. "There was a time when I was so sure that you and were I meant to be and now…"

"Now what, Blair?"

"Now I'm standing here with you and all I want to do is get back to Brooklyn and be with Dan…" Blair pauses for a second as she reaches up to Chuck's cheek. "You were right about one thing though. We will always be Chuck and Blair, Blair and Chuck, because I do love you. You have to know that. Part of me will always love you, but I'm starting to think that maybe we're not inevitable. Dan loves me, Chuck. He loves me. There's no ulterior motives. He isn't getting something out of it. He just loves me. And I need to give this relationship a real chance because I need him and the thought of losing him hurts me, it physically hurts me. So this thing between us has to end once and for all." Blair blinks back tears as she brushes her lips across his cheek. "Goodbye Chuck." She gives him a sad smile before turning to leave but Chuck's hand grabbing hers causes her to stop.

"Blair, you can't just leave me. I don't know how to live without you. I don't think I can." He looks almost desperate and Blair's expression softens as she looks at him.

"You'll survive. You're Chuck Bass." Blair swallows the sob in her throat.

"Blair…" Chuck looks at her, tears glistening in his eyes and Blair feels an ache in her chest. "Why Humphrey? Can you at least tell me that? Can you tell me why Humphrey?"

"Because I'm happy when I'm with him and I miss him when he's not around. Because when he holds me, I feel protected and safe." Blair is quiet for a moment as she looks at him before finally lifting one shoulder in a half shrug. " And because I'm pretty sure he loves me enough that if I told him I wanted to be with you, he'd let me go. That's what I need _you_ to do, Chuck. I need you to love me enough to let me go."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N - Sorry for the delay in updating. Thanks to all of you for sticking with the story. I hope you like this chapter. Please review. :)**

**Disclaimer - I don't own the characters, just the ideas :)**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Spotted: B sneaking into the Empire Hotel in the middle of the afternoon. We'll give you one guess on who she's there to see - and somehow we doubt that it's Nate. Apparently some things never change. It looks like Queen B may be returning to her former King._

Dan read the Gossip Girl blast for the fifth time before hurling his phone across the room and it clattered loudly to the floor. He'd probably just destroyed his phone but Dan couldn't bring himself to care. He couldn't believe that Blair was with Chuck. He'd really believed that if he gave her enough time she'd get over Chuck the way he'd gotten over Serena, but after reading that blast he was beginning to wonder if Blair would ever get Chuck out of her life. Was Blair ever going to really let him in?

He makes his way toward the kitchen, pulling an old bottle of whisky that his dad had left out of the cupboard and pouring himself a stiff drink. He didn't even like whisky, but right now he needed something a hell of a lot stronger than beer.

The liquor burned his throat as he gulped it down. His phone beeps from across the room and all Dan can do is stare at the thing like it's a traitor. If that was another blast about Chuck and Blair, he was going to seriously lose him mind. He reluctantly makes his way across the room and picks the phone up to see a text from Nate telling him not to jump to conclusions about the blast. That was easy for him to say. His girlfriend wasn't sneaking off to see her ex a mere few days after he told her he loved her.

Dan lets out a frustrated sigh as he pours himself another drink, gulping that down in one mouthful. Screw that. If Chuck Bass thought that he was going down without a fight, he had another thing coming. Dan slammed the glass down on the counter as he grabbed his jacket and keys and headed toward the door. He stopped when he pulled the door open and finds his sister on the other side.

"Jenny? What are you doing here?" Dan stares at her in confusion when she moves passed him into the loft.

"I saw the blast." Jenny drops her bag on the floor and turns to look at him.

"You know, Jen, if you came here to say I told you so, you really should have just called." Dan stares at her impatiently, still holding the door open. "I'm actually on my way out so…" He motions toward the hall.

"Where are you going? To confront Blair? Challenge Chuck?" Jenny crosses her arms over her chest. "Dan, you know you can't do that."

"And why not, exactly?" Dan finally closes the door and stares at his sister.

"Because you'll be playing right into Chuck's hands." Jenny sighs, shaking her head. "Chuck is an expert at making someone else take the fall for him. If you go over there, the two of you are going to get into a fight and he'll spin this to make everyone believe this is your fault."

"I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing, Jen." Dan shakes his head angrily.

"That's exactly what you're going to do." Jenny takes the keys from him. "Look, I'm not even going to pretend that I understand this thing with you and Blair, OK? Personally, I think she's awful but I am willing to admit that if you can see the good in her, then it must be there somewhere and from what you told me, she does seem to genuinely care about you."

"Yeah, well this is pretty clear, Jen." Dan scoffs, moving to pour himself another whisky. God, Waldorf was turning him into the an alcoholic and he sees Jenny eye the glass before glancing up at him. "Don't judge. I need this OK. I was the fool who let myself fall in love with Blair Waldorf, so yeah, I kind of a need a drink."

"In love?" Jenny's eyes practically bulge out of her head. "You're in love? With Blair?"

"Yeah and now she's at Chuck's. It doesn't take a genius to connect the dots, Jen." Dan takes another gulp of whisky, wincing at the burn. "And seeing as you are not going to let me leave, I'm gonna drink."

Dan raises his glass to her before downing the rest of the whisky in one mouthful.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Blair takes a deep breath as she steps out of the Empire and glances back at the building for a moment before heading to the curb to hail a cab. There was a part of her that couldn't believe what had just happened. She and Chuck were really (finally) over and the realization caused various reactions within her. There was a part of her that was sad, a part that mourned her first love and what they could have been if things had been different, but a bigger part of her felt like a weight had been lifted. She felt like she could breathe, really breathe, for the first time in years.

She couldn't help but smile as she climbed into a cab and gave the driver Dan's address. Leaning back, she watched the city fly by and her pulse started to race as Brooklyn got closer and closer. By the time the cab pulls up in front of Dan's building, Blair finds herself rushing to pay the driver, eager to get inside as fast as she could to see him. When she reaches the loft, the last person she expects to open the door is Jenny Humphrey.

"What are you doing here?" Blair asks, unable to keep her dislike for Dan's sister from showing.

"Absolutely nothing. I'm leaving." Jenny picks up her bag, glancing at Dan. Blair watches the younger girl leave, staring at her as she disappears out the door before she finally turns to look at Dan.

"Hi." She's nervous and she can't help but still be a little shocked that Dan Humphrey makes her nervous. She wonders if that will ever going away and she's surprised to realize that she hopes it doesn't. She hopes that he always makes her feel like this.

"What do you want, Blair?" Dan leans against the counter, crossing his arms as he looks at her with slightly glassy eyes and Blair stops to look at him.

"Dan, have you been drinking?" Blair glances behind him and her eyes widen when she sees the bottle of whisky. Whisky? Dan was drinking whisky? "What's going on? What's with the whisky?" Blair lays her bag down and slides her jacket off before looking back at him with worried eyes. "Is something wrong with Jenny?"

Was that why Jenny was back in the city? As much as Blair disliked the girl, she was still Dan's sister and if there was something wrong enough to cause Dan to drink in the middle of the afternoon , she would put aside her feelings for the moment and be there for him.

"Right, Jenny." Dan laughs, humourlessly. "No, Blair. I'm not drinking because of Jenny. I'm drinking because I told my girlfriend that I loved her and she went running back to her ex the first chance she got." Blair's face drops in shock. "I guess you haven't seen the latest Gossip Girl blast." Dan tossed his phone towards her. "Go ahead, take a look."

Blair flips open Dan's phone and freezes when she sees the blast. Crap. She feels like all of the air has been sucked out of the room. She looks up at Dan and he's watching her with an expression that she can't read.

"Dan, it is not what you think." Blair quickly crosses the room to stand in from him and she looks up at him with frantic eyes.

"Really? Because what it looks like to me, Blair, is that I told you I loved you and you went running to Chuck." Dan shakes his head as he looks at her and Blair thinks her heart is actually going to break in her chest when she sees the pain in his eyes. "I knew this was going to happen. I knew you were going to do this. I knew you were going to get scared and go running back to him because that's what you do."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Blair's fight instinct kicks in before she can stop it.

"This is what you do, Blair! Things get too real for you and you go running back to what you think is the easier, safer choice. Hell, that's what you did with Chuck, remember? You started feeling things for him and it freaked you out and you went running to Nate." Dan's eyes flash and he closes his eyes for a second to calm himself down. When he finally looks up at Blair, guilt surges through him when he sees tears in her eyes.

"That is not fair, Dan." Blair shakes her head, blinking the tears away and taking a breath. "You can't do that. You can't tell me that you love me and then get drunk and use the fact that you did as a way to hurt me."

"I'm not drunk, Blair. I just…" Dan says with a sigh as he runs her fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, OK. I shouldn't have said that. It wasn't fair. You know the last thing that I would ever want to do is hurt you." He reaches up to brush the tears from her face. "But what do you expect me to think? Blair, when I told you that I understood that you weren't ready to say those words, I meant it. I can wait as long as I have to but I need to know that I'm actually waiting for something. I need to know that we're moving in the same direction here; that you're not just killing time with me until Chuck gets his shit together and proves that he's serious this time. I need to know that there's a least a chance that you can find a place for me in your heart. I'm already in way too deep here, Blair, I need you to just be honest with me."

"I am being honest with you, I swear." Blair looks up, her eyes pleading with him. "I admit that when you told me that you loved me, it scared me. I handled this whole thing wrong and I am so sorry for that." Dan just looks at her and Blair takes a breath before reaching up to take his face in her hands the way he's done with her more times than she can count. "You have to believe me when I tell you that."

"I want to believe you, Blair, I do… but the way you've been acting…" Dan takes her hands from his face and holds on to them tightly. "Why were you at the Empire?" Dan's voice is strained, anxious and the way he's looking at her breaks her heart and she hates herself for being the cause. Without thinking she warps her arms around his neck and leans up to rest her forehead against his.

"I did go to the Empire to see Chuck, but not for the reasons that Gossip Girl made it seem like." Blair whispers. "Dan, I went to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Dan pulls away slightly to look at her.

"Yes. Goodbye." Blair nods slowly and pauses for a second to take a breath. "Dan, when you told me that you loved me, I didn't know what to do. I couldn't figure it out. How could someone like you love someone like me? And I'm not going to lie, the fact that Chuck and I had so much unfinished business did play a factor because I think that, whether I wanted to admit it or not, there was a part of me that believed him. Part of me believed that eventually Chuck and I would fall back into our destructive pattern because that's what we do. So I think because of that I never let myself completely fall for you. Deep down, I think I always believed that it would end eventually…"

Dan opened his mouth to respond but Blair stopped him .

"You have to let me finish." Blair practically slaps her hand over his mouth and Dan just nods silently. "I was scared Dan. I was scared of letting myself really fall for you because I knew that if I did, it would just hurt more when I lost you. But then I talked to Serena and she made me realize that nothing is set in stone; that Chuck and I aren't inevitable. So I went to the Empire to tell him that. I went to say goodbye to him."

Blair takes a breath as she finishes and slowly looks up at Dan, who for his part is just staring at her.

"So, that's it. You're really done with him?" He asks, still trying to process everything she just told him. "You're really done with Chuck?"

"I will always care about Chuck. He and I have way too much history for me not, but you're the one that I want, Dan. This is where I want to be." Blair gives a slightly watery smile as she reaches up to brush her hand across his cheek.

Dan is completely silent as he looks at her and Blair can't help but fear that she's too late. All of those fears are pushed aside when Dan gathers her in his arms, holding on to her as tightly as he can as he buries his face in her hair.

"Damn it, Waldorf, you scared the crap out of me." He pulls away to look down at her with a pained expression. "I'm sorry I said those things to you, I shouldn't have. It's just, when I saw that blast …"

"I know.." Blair nods understandingly. "I'm sorry that I've given you so many reasons to doubt me. But that's all in the past, Dan." She leans forward to kiss his lips gently. "I'm here now and I'm in this 100%. I promise."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N - Hey guys, so here's the next chapter. Thank you all again for the support and reviews! It is greatly appreciated. Sorry for the delay in updating. I actually had the chapter written days ago but just haven't had a chance to upload. Anyway, I hope you guys like it. Please review!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Dan, what are you doing here?" Blair smiled from the top of the stairs. "Did we have plans today?"

"No." Dan shakes his head, moving to meet Blair halfway on the stairs. "But it's a beautiful day and I thought we could spend the afternoon together."

Dan rests his hands on her hips lightly, pulling her closer to brush his lips across hers and Blair can't stop the giggle that escapes her throat. Good Lord, what was the matter with her? She was giggling like a schoolgirl over Dan Humphrey. If the girls at Constance could see her now.

"Come on." Dan presses one more kiss on her lips before taking her hand and leading her down the stairs toward the elevator.

"My jacket…" Blair starts to pull her hand away but Dan tightens his grip, shaking his head with a smile.

"You don't need it. I have everything you need right here." Dan patted the bag he was carrying and Blair just looked at him.

"Do I even want to know?" Blair raises an eyebrow in his direction as the elevator arrives and Dan just smiles, sliding his arm around her waist as they step in.

"Probably not." Dan murmured into her hair before kissing her temple.

**XXXXXXXXX**

"Central Park, Humphrey?" Blair looks up at him with disbelieving eyes. "You dragged me out here for a walk in Central Park?"

"Be quiet, Waldorf." Dan shakes his head with a smile as he takes her hand, lifting it to his lips to kiss the back of it softly. "I just wanted to spend the day with my girlfriend without having to worry that she's scouting the place for an exit strategy."

"Ha, ha." Blair shoots him a look. "Don't think I'm not eying the exits with my peripherals."

"I don't think so." Dan moves closer and smirks when he sees Blair's breath shorten. He's not going lie, he kind of loves that he has that kind of effect on her, plus it's nice to know that he's not the only one.

"You don't know me as well as you think you do." Blair holds her head up and she scowls at the amusement dancing in Dan's eyes.

"I think I know you pretty well." Dan steps closer again and his eyes flick to Blair's lips for a second. "I know that, right now, you're thinking that you want me to kiss you."

"Ha!" Blair huffs, crossing her arms. "That's quite the ego you've got, Dan." Blair turns away and Dan just laughs as he grabs her hand, pulling her back so that she's flush against him before he kisses her sweetly.

Dan tightens his arms around her as he deepens the kiss. He couldn't seem to stop wanting to kiss her all the time. It was like he had this overwhelming need to be constantly touching her. Honestly, it was starting to worry him. She was like a drug and he was becoming more and more addicted to her.

Blair lets out a contented sigh when Dan finally pulls away and she smiles up at him for a second before linking her arm through his.

"OK… maybe I wanted you to kiss me."

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Blair looked up from the magazine she was reading when her phone beeped. She flipped the phone open and frowned when she read the Gossip Girl blast before she glanced at Dan, who was stretched out on the blanket next to her, completely oblivious as he read.

"What's wrong?" Dan asks, not looking up from his book. "I can feel the tension coming off you in waves, Waldorf. Just spill it."

"Gossip Girl." Blair holds out her phone to him and Dan looks at the blast.

_Spotted: Dan Humphrey and Blair Waldorf strolling arm and arm in Central Park, looking every bit the young couple in love. That's right, boys and girls, you read it here first. It looks like Lonely Boy and Queen B are apparently quite the item. We couldn't believe it either and we can only imagine how Chuck Bass is taking it._

"Well, this is pretty tame in comparison to some of the stuff she's said." Dan shakes his head, handing the phone back to her. "I guess we should be thankful that we made it under the radar for this long, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." Blair drops her phone into her bag. "Gossip Girl is going to have a field day if someone sends a picture of this." Blair shakes her head, motioning around before laying back and shielding her eyes to look at Dan.

"And what exactly is 'this'" Dan looks down at her, slightly curious as to what Blair's mind was coming up with now.

"This, Humphrey!" Blair motions around again and Dan just looks at her.

"Yeah, still not any clearer, Waldorf." Dan laughs, shaking his head. He would never completely understand the way Blair's mind worked.

"Oh, for the love of God!" Blair lets out an exaggerated sigh as she pushes herself up on her elbows. "Look at us! You've got me on a _blanket __in_ _Central Park_! It's completely cliché! You've turned me into a commoner!"

Dan is quiet for a second as he looks at her and he chuckles lightly before leaning down to brush his lips over hers.

"Don't try and distract me with those lips, Humphrey." Blair murmurs as Dan moves his lips to her neck. "I'm being serious…"

Dan pulls away to smile down at her again, his eyes dancing affectionately.

"I know you are." He brushes the hair from her face before kissing her softly again. "But believe me, there is absolutely nothing common about you, Blair."

"Well, that is true." Blair looks at him for a second before grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him down on top of her, crashing her lips against his.

"You know the loft is empty." Dan murmurs into her neck as he leaves a trail of kisses up to her cheek.

"The penthouse is closer." Blair turns to kiss him. "And I'm not sure I can make it to Brooklyn."

"Blair…" Dan lets out a strangled groan as Blair pulls him closer and for a second he contemplates dragging her behind a brush but somehow he doubts that would go over too well. "Ben and Serena are at your place, remember?" He reluctantly tears his lips from hers.

"Right." Blair shakes her head, trying to clear her head. "OK, Brooklyn it is." Blair pulls him in for one last kiss before pushing him off of her and climbing to her feet. "Come on, Humphrey." She looks down at him expectantly, holding out her hand and Dan smiles before reaching out to take it and puling himself up.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Can't you control yourself even a little bit. We're almost at the door." Blair laughed as Dan's arms snaked around her waist and his lips attacked hers when they were half way up the stairs to the loft.

"No, not really." Dan smiled against her mouth, spinning Blair so her back was against the wall. "It's nice to know that I finally don't have to share you with anyone." Dan's voice is low as his head dips to kiss her again and Blair sinks into his embrace for a few seconds before pulling away.

"I'm sorry that I ever made you believe that you weren't important to me; that you had to share me." Blair stares up at him for a long moment before pulling him closer and kissing him deeply.

"I know." Dan whispers before taking her hand and leading her up the rest of the stairs. "Now, can we talk about something else? Maybe like the fact that a very empty loft is waiting for us and…"

The words die in Dan's throat when they turn the corner and both he and Blair freeze when they see Vanessa outside the door to the loft.

"Oh that's just great." Blair rolls her eyes and Dan glances at her quickly before turning back to Vanessa.

"Oh my god! So, it's true?" Vanessa stares at the two of them in complete disgust and Dan feels Blair stiffen next to him.

"I take it you saw the blast." Dan says evenly, digging his keys out of his pocket. "I'm not in the mood, Vanessa. Blair and I were actually in the middle of something, so if you don't mind." He throws her a look before unlocking the door and holding it open for Blair.

"You can not possibly be serious about this, Dan." Vanessa glares in Blair's direction and Blair finds herself struggling herself to keep her anger in check.

"You listen to me, you little vagabond, Dan and I…" Blair begins but stops when Dan places a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Can you give us a second?" Dan looks down at her and Blair stares at him for a second before sighing.

"Fine." Blair throws one last scathing look in Vanessa's direction before heading inside. Dan waits until Blair has closed the door to the loft before turning to Vanessa, who looks like she's about to explode.

"This is a whole new level of depravity, Dan!" Vanessa immediately starts into a rant before Dan can speak. "Blair Waldorf? Seriously? She's awful! She's everything that you always said you hated about the Upper East Side. She's.."

"My girlfriend." Dan cuts her off, trying to keep his frustration in check as he stares at the girl who was once his best friend in the world. "You're about a month late to this party. Blair and I are together and you're just going to have to deal with it."

"Deal with it?" Vanessa stares at him as though he's completely lost his mind. "I'm not just going to deal with it! After everything that she has done.."

"After everything _she's_ done!" Dan finally snaps. "What exactly has she done, Vanessa? Did Blair drug Serena and leave her to OD? Did Blair blame my sister for all of it and then run away when she got caught so she wouldn't have to deal with the consequences of her actions?" Dan's voice practically echoes in the hall as he yells and Vanessa just stares at him in shocked silence. "That's right, that wasn't Blair, was it? That was _you_!" Vanessa opens her mouth to speak but Dan keeps right on going. "Blair is a lot of things, but at least she doesn't pretend to be something that she's not. And she's apart of my life now, Vanessa - something that I still haven't decided on about you. But if you ever want to have that chance, you better learn to accept Blair because if you don't, if you make me choose… well there is no choice. I will always pick her."

Dan turns to open the door and Vanessa reaches out to grab his hand, stopping him.

"After all these years, after everything that we've been through, you're actually telling me that Blair Waldorf is more important to you." Vanessa's eyes flash. "Do you really think that Blair is going to give up anything for you? Do you think that she's going to stand by your side when Chuck and Serena find out about this? She's going to toss you aside faster than last season's Jimmy Choos."

Dan is quiet for a long moment as he looks at Vanessa, wondering how and when she became this person and all he can do is shake his head.

"That right there shows how wrong you are about her, V." Dan glances over his shoulder at the closed door and smiles a little before looking back and Vanessa. "Serena and Chuck already know. Serena was upset at first, but she came around…"

"Don't you dare try to tell me that Chuck 'came around' because we both know that's a load of crap. There is no way that Chuck Bass would ever be OK with this and when he gives her that ultimatum…"

"He already did." Dan shakes his head again, this time with a smile that looks almost amused. "She told him that it was over." Dan shrugs. "You can try to keep coming up with ways to make me doubt her, but it's not going to work. I'm in love with her, V, and if you ever want us to have any kind of relationship again, you better start getting used to that."

Dan gives her one more look before turning and heading into the loft, leaving Vanessa staring after him.

He finds Blair pacing his room. She looks… well vicious is the only word he can think of that would accurately describe it. She mutters some pretty choice swear words and Dan can't help but smile.

"Why is it that whenever I hear you swear, I feel like I've stepped into an alternate universe?" Dan speaks and Blair looks up at him with a start. "Don't get me wrong, I find it strangely sexy but still…"

"Seriously? The sight of me so angry that I could rip that nasty polyester hair extension right off Vanessa's head is sexy?" Blair raises an eyebrow at him. "There is something very wrong with you, Humphrey." Blair rolls her eyes but she's half smiling so Dan figures that's a good sign. "Is she gone?" Blair asks and Dan nods. "Good, I'm sorry for getting so mad earlier but she is just…"

"A vagabond?" Dan offers, a grin planted firmly on his face and Blair just looks at him. "Vagabond, Blair? Really? I mean, who talks like that?"

"I talk like that!" Blair crosses her arms and Dan just keeps on grinning, crossing the room to slide his arms around her waist and press a kiss on her neck. "You're doing it again." Blair sighs as Dan continues his assault, moving down her shoulder.

"Doing what?" He murmurs as his lips slowly make their way toward hers.

"You're distracting me with your lips again." Blair says in a breath as Dan twists his hands in her hair.

"Good, that was the plan." He whispers before his mouth attacked hers hungrily and Blair felt like her whole body was on fire. She can vaguely hear her phone ringing but she couldn't be bothered to even think about answering it as Dan lowered her back onto the bed. A few seconds later Dan's phone starts to ring and Dan reluctantly pulls away from her. "One second." He digs his phone out of his pocket and looks down, sighing. "It's Nate."

"Answer it." Blair says, pushing Dan off her and he sighs again before flipping his phone open.

"Nate, this isn't a good time." Dan falls back on the bed, holding his arm out Blair and she smiles before cuddling closer to him and Dan absentmindedly runs his fingers through her hair.

"Sorry, man, but is Blair with you?" Nate's voice sounds strained and Dan immediately notices. "I tried her cell but she's not answering and Serena said that she was spending the day with you."

"Um, yeah, she's right here." Dan holds the phone out to Blair, who looks at him completely confused. "He wants to talk to you."

"Me?" Blair sits up, taking the phone from Dan. "Nate, what's wrong?"

""Blair, I'm sorry to do this but I didn't know who else to call." Nate begins ominously. "It's Chuck…"

"Nate, stop. Don't." Blair doesn't even let him finish as she sighs. "Look, Chuck isn't my problem anymore. He and I need to make a clean break from each other. Dan and I…"

"I know, I know. But just hear me out." Nate says immediately, his tone practically begging. "I know that you and Dan are just starting to get to a good place but I wouldn't have called if it wasn't an emergency. He hasn't been sober in days and he's only gotten worse since he saw the blast. He's spiralling, Blair. It's really bad… Bart's death bad."

Blair freezes at the words and images of Chuck standing on the ledge of the roof at Victrola flash through her mind.

"I…" She glances at Dan, who is watching her with a curious expression. If she went, Dan would never understand but if she didn't go, Chuck would probably end up doing something that everyone would regret. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Blair slowly closes the phone and hands it back to Dan, who is staring at her like she's grown a second head.

"Blair…" Dan's jaw clenches and Blair internally cringes. "Where are you going? You said that this thing with you and Chuck was over."

"It is." Blair grabs his hand. "Nate wouldn't have called if it wasn't an emergency."

Dan pauses for a second as he looks down at her and Blair stares up at him with pleading eyes and he lets out a frustrated sigh.

"Blair, you can't go running every single time Chuck has an emergency." He gently takes her face in his hands. "You were right when you said that you and Chuck need to make a clean break. The both of you need to do that."

"I know that, Dan, I do, but I can't just ignore the fact that he's in trouble anymore than you could ignore Serena if she was trouble." Blair pulls away from him climbs off the bed, heading out of the room.

"Serena didn't spend the last month trying to undermind our relationship at every turn, Blair!" Dan follows her out into the living room. "When is this ever going to end?" He was getting sick and tired of constantly arguing over Chuck fucking Bass.

Blair stops half way to the door before she slowly turns to look at him. The two of them stare at each other for a long moment before Blair crosses the room and wraps her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder as she hugs him tightly.

"I'm sorry, but please try and understand. He's in a really bad place right now, Dan. Nate compared it to Bart's death." Blair looks up at him. Dan is quiet for a long time as he looks at her. He remembered all too well how dark Chuck had gotten their senior year in high school.

"He's really that bad?" Dan stares at her conflicted and Blair nods. The part of him that despised Chuck wanted to let the bastard rot in his own self-loathing but the rest of him knew that if anything happened to Chuck, Blair would never forgive herself. "OK." Dan says finally, his voice barely a whisper. "OK. We'll go check on him."

"We?" Blair looks up at him, slightly surprised.

"I trust you, Blair, but I don't trust Chuck as far as I can throw him, so yeah, we." Dan picks up his keys and takes Blair's hand as they head out of the loft.

**XXXXXXXXX**

Blair is practically vibrating next to him by the time they reach the Empire, but she smiles a little when Dan squeezes her hand reassuringly as the elevator doors open to Nate and Chuck's apartment.

"Blair, Thank God you're here. I…" Nate comes around the corner and stops dead in his tracks when he sees Dan. "Ugh, Dan what are you doing here?" He glances over his shoulder toward the living room. "Look, I don't think you being here is a good idea. Chuck's not really…"

"He's here for me, Nate." Blair stops him. "I want him here. Now, where is Chuck?"

"In the living room." Nate nods behind him and Blair squeezes Dan's hand before letting do and making her way down the hall.

"Listen, Dan, I know you're probably pissed at me for calling her but I didn't know what else to do. You know that she's the only one he'll listen to." Nate rubs the back of his neck nervously and Dan just looks at him for a second.

"It's done." Dan shrugs. "Look, I'm not exactly a fan of Chuck but I don't want him plummeting to his death because he's on some self-destructive downward spiral. But on the off chance that he does, I'm not letting him take Blair down with him."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Blair can hear Dan and Nate talking quietly behind her as she makes her way into the dark living room.

"Chuck?" She stops when she sees his outline on the couch. "Chuck, what are you doing?"

Blair makes her way across the room to kneel down in front of him. She winces when Chuck looks up at her with blurry eyes and Blair can't help but wonder if he even realizes that it's her in front of him.

"Blair?" His voice is raspier than normal and reaches out to her slowly, almost like he thinks she's going to disappear if he tries to touch her.

"Chuck, what are you doing? You don't want to do this." Blair reaches for his hand and holds it tightly. "After everything you've done; how hard you've worked to save Bass Industries. You're so much better than this."

"I'm nothing, Blair." Chuck pulls his hand away. "I don't care about any of it." He stops to look at her and Blair frowns at his cold eyes. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here because Nate is worried about you." She pauses for a second, glancing toward the hall. "I'm worried about you, Chuck."

"Why would you be worried about me? You've got _Humphrey_ now." Chuck sneers as he says Dan's name and Blair sighs, straightening herself up.

"Don't do this, Chuck. Please don't do this. Please don't push away the people who care about you. Don't let this be a repeat of Bart's death." Blair speaks quietly and Chuck just looks at her for a second before struggling to stand.

"Who cares about me, Blair? My father lied to me up until the day he died. My mother didn't want me…" Chuck's eyes look empty and Blair feels tears fill her eyes as she looks at him.

"You have so many people who care about you." Blair frowns as Chuck scoffs and crosses the room to pour himself another drink. "You have Nate and Lily, Serena and Eric…"

"The only person I care about is gone, Blair. You're off in Brooklyn." Chuck downs the scotch and Blair sighs, glancing toward the door again before slowly making her way toward him.

She didn't want to be the reason that Chuck drank himself to the grave. She couldn't live with that but she didn't know what to say to him because she couldn't say the one thing that she knew he needed her to.

"Chuck, please don't do this." Blair closes her eyes for a second. "Don't do this to yourself."

"You were the only person who ever loved me for me - not because I'm Chuck Bass; not because it benefited you in some way…" Blair feels her chest clench as Chuck repeats practically the same thing to her that she said about Dan. "Blair, look at me. I'm a wreck without you…"

"Chuck, please…" Blair begins again, reaching towards him but he shrugs her off, the act of which causes him to stumble back, knocking a lamp over. It crashes to the floor and Dan and Nate come rushing into the room.

Chuck freezes at the sight of Dan, his face contorting into a mask of pure hatred.

"What the hell is he doing here?" He turns his cold gaze to Blair. "You brought him with you? What the hell were you thinking bringing him here, Blair?" Chuck sneers. "Just stop pretending like you fucking care. You've made it abundantly clear that you don't." Chuck glares at the three of them before stumbling out of the room and toward the elevator.

**XXXXXXXXX**

_Spotted: Dan and Blair leaving the Empire looking awfully perturbed and Chuck Bass drowning his sorrows alone. It looks like the cat is out of the bag, kiddies. Get ready for fireworks. _

Vanessa flips her phone shut and takes a breath as she looks around the bar. She stops when her eyes land on Chuck Bass, sitting at the bar with a bottle of scotch.

"Chuck, we need to talk." She sits down next to him and Chuck simply eyes her over his glass before turning back to bottle.

"And what the hell would we have to talk about?" Chuck mutters, pouring himself another drink.

"Dan and Blair." Vanessa says and Chuck stops, mid-pour to look at her. "I thought that would get your attention. You and I have a common goal here, Bass. So, are you just going to sit here and be pathetic, or are you going to help me?"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Blair, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have called you." Blair can hear the regret in Nate's voice over the phone and she sighs a little leaning back on her bed as Dan comes back into her bedroom from the bathroom.

"Nate, it's not your fault. You were trying to help your friend." Blair says and smiles a little when Dan crawls onto the bed next to her. "Listen, I'm going to go. We'll talk later."

"Sure. Hey Blair, can you make sure there's no hard feelings with Dan. I mean, I don't want this thing with Chuck…"

"Don't worry Archibald. Dan isn't mad at you either." Blair bids him goodbye before flipping her phone shut and settling into Dan's open arms. "Nate says he's sorry."

"It's not Nate's fault." Dan shakes his head, kissing her temple gently. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine." Blair whispers, resting her head on his chest and he runs his fingers through her hair, the act of which relaxes her in ways that she can't even begin to describe.

"Hey, listen to me, I know that you're worried about him…" Dan looks down at her with a serious expression. "But this is the last straw, Blair. I don't trust him, especially right now. He's too unstable and I don't want you around him." He brushes the hair from her face and kisses her deeply. "If anything ever happened to you…"

"OK." Blair nods, leaning forward to kiss him again.

"That was too easy." Dan looks at her a little sceptically.

"You were right." Blair says after a moment, resting against him again and Dan automatically tightens his arms around her. "I can't help Chuck through this. So if you want me to stay away from him, I'll stay away from him."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N - Hi all, once again I just wanted to say thank you all the review, favourites and alerts. I hope you guys like where I've decided to take the story. I'm actually pretty excited by it. As always, I don't own Dan, Blair or anything else associated with Gossip Girl. Please review. Take care!**

**XXXXXXXXX**

"Blair, is this really necessary?" Dan tugged at the collar of his shirt as Blair fluttered around him, pulling at the jacket he was wearing. "I mean, I have a perfectly good suit and it doesn't cost…" Dan glances at the tag. "Jesus Christ, Blair, this suit costs $1,800."

"It's Armani." Blair shrugs a little as she signals for a salesperson. "You have to pay for quality, Humphrey."

"Blair, I'm not letting you buy me a $1,800 suit." Dan shakes his head and starts taking off the jacket but Blair stops him, pulling the jacket back up over his shoulders. "Blair…"

"Dan, this is our first public appearance since Gossip Girl outed us. Everyone who is anyone is going to be there and I will not have you showing up in that tired suit that you seem to always be wearing." Blair nods her head with a smile as though the conversation is over and turns to the salesman, who seemed to appear out of nowhere. "This is almost perfect. I think if we just shorten the sleeves a tiny bit and we should be good."

"Blair, I said no." Dan watches in shocked disbelief as the tailor seems to completely disregard that he is speaking as he begins to pin the sleeves on the jacket.

"Yes, I know. But you'll thank me when we get there and you don't stand out like a sore thumb." Blair leans forward to peck his lips quickly and Dan frowns again.

"Blair, I'm really not comfortable with this." Dan shakes his head as the tailor finishes pinning and scurries away when Blair sends him a look.

"Why? You accepted the sweater?" Blair crosses her arms as she looks at him and Dan can't help but sigh. He really didn't want to be having this conversation with Blair in the middle of a shop.

"That was different." Dan glances around. "That sweater wasn't $1,800." He pauses when Blair looks away. "Blair, tell me that sweater wasn't $1,800!"

"Of course not." Blair scoffs, rolling her eyes and Dan feels his temper start to flare slightly. He might love this girl but there were times when he wanted to throttle her. "What's the big deal, Humphrey? I mean, you let Lily buy you things, why can't I?"

"Because…" Dan lowers his voice, glancing around uncomfortably. "I'm not sleeping with Lily."

"Thank god for that." Blair chuckles a little and Dan gives her a dirty look that could rival one of Blair's. She frowns for a second and steps forward to look up at him. "Dan, if it really bothers you that much, we don't have to get the suit. I just wanted everyone to see how dashing you are when you're not dressed like a hippy."

"A hippy, Blair?" Dan just stares at her, struggling not to smile but failing. "Fine, we can get the suit." He leans forward to brush his lips over hers and then turns to look in the mirror. "I mean, if you think I look dashing…" He glances over at Blair, who smiles up at him practically giddy. He doesn't even know why he bothered trying to argue with her. He should have learned by now that when Blair wanted something enough, she was going to get it.

"Good." Blair grins happily. "I knew you would see it my way!" She kisses him again before pulling away and looking up at him with a twinkle in her eye. "OK, I'm going to pay for the suit. You hurry up and change and then we can talk about what we're going to do about that hair."

Blair kisses him once more and all Dan can do is stare at her as she practically skips away.

"Hair? Wait a second, Blair, you never said anything about hair!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Wow!" Dan's eyes widen when Blair emerges from her room and practically floats down the stairs later that evening. "You look… well, let's say that the last thing I want to do right now is go to some silly charity event." His hand reaches up to cup her cheek as he leans in to kiss her. "I'd much rather take you back upstairs…" He trails off as his lips find hers again and Blair finds herself melting in his arms.

"Well, we could probably be a few minutes late tonight." Pulling away, Blair gave him a sly smile as she took his hand, practically dragging him upstairs. They barely made it to the landing when Dan wrapped his arms around her waist and his lips attacked her neck and for a brief second she wonders how it's possible for him (for anyone really) to make her feel like this.

"For the love of god, do the two of you ever stop." They both freeze at the sound of Serena's voice and look to find her standing outside her bedroom door, arms crossed, watching them. "There's no time for that. We're supposed to meet my mom and Rufus in like 20 minutes."

"Oh, that's plenty of time, S!" Blair grabs Dan's hand pulling him toward her room but Dan resists.

"Well, thank you for that, Blair." Dan rolls his eyes before shaking his head and smiling down at her. "But Serena's right. We do need to go."

"This was your idea, Humphrey!" Blair stamps her foot with a glare. "You started this and now you're not going to follow through."

"I'll make it up to you when we get home, I promise." Dan murmurs, dipping her head to kiss her again and Blair sighs as she sinks into him.

"Ewe! I so don't need to see this." Serena pushes passed them and heads downstairs.

"S, wait! We're sorry." Blair calls after her, glancing up at Dan, who's smiling like a kid in a candy store.

"I'm not sorry." Dan shrugs, still grinning and Blair slaps his arm before taking off after Serena and Dan just smirks as he follows them.

"I am not riding in a limo with the two of you if you don't quit it." Serena shakes her head as the elevator takes them to the ground floor.

"We'll be good, I promise." Blair smiles up at her friend and the blonde just looks at her.

"Just keeps your hands to yourselves, OK." Serena tells them both seriously. Dan and Blair both nod silently as the doors open and they step out into the lobby. "I do love the haircut though, Dan. It looks great."

**XXXXXXXXX**

"I told you that you needed a haircut." Blair whispers as they walk into the ballroom and Dan just looks at her. "What? Even Serena said so."

"Yes, fine, I needed a haircut; the suit was a good call; Blair Waldorf is all knowing, all wonderful." Dan says sarcastically and Blair slaps his arm. "I'm going to get us something to drink. I'll be back."

Dan drops a kiss on her temple before weaving his way through the crowd toward the bar and Blair can't stop herself from smiling as she watches him go.

"Hey, S, is Ben coming tonight? Is he meeting you here?" Blair looks up at her blonde best friend and she finally pulls her gaze from Dan.

"Um, no." Serena shakes her head quickly, looking away. Blair frowns, taking Serena's arm firmly and leading her away from the crowd.

"Serena, what's going on?" Blair asks, genuinely concerned and that concern only grows when she sees tears fill Serena's eyes. "S, what happened?"

"Ben broke up with me this afternoon." Serena takes a breath and slowly lets it out. Blair is stunned for a second before she steps closer, hugging her friend tightly.

"S, I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me?"

"You and Dan are so happy right now and I just didn't want to burst your bubble." Serena shrugs a little and Blair's expression softens as she links her arm through Serena's.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." Serena shook her head quickly. "Not yet."

"Well, do you want me to go old school on his Connecticut ass?" Blair asks, completely serious and Serena laughs a little. "Don't laugh, S. We can ask Dan to help. You'd be surprised at how helpful Humphrey can be during a scheme. We can totally make Ben pay."

"I appreciate the gesture, B, but that won't be necessary." Serena chuckles again, shaking her head and Blair shrugged.

"OK, but if you change your mind." Blair offers one last time before turning to Dan, who was approaching with champagne. She takes a glass from him, sipping it with a smile when Dan's arm slips around her waist.

"You really do look beautiful." His voice is deep and husky in her ear and she feels her body tingle as his breath dances on her skin. Of course those feelings quickly evaporate when Serena excuses herself and practically bolts.

She can see the question starting to form in Dan's eyes but before he has a chance to say anything, Penelope appears in front of them.

"OMG! So, it's actually true?" The dark haired girl gives Dan a once over with disdain and Dan just rolls his eyes. "I didn't really believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. Dan Humphrey? Quite the drop from Chuck Bass."

"Excuse me?" Blair feels the blood rush to her face in anger.

"Blair…" Dan takes her hand, shaking his head and for the first time during the course of their relationship, his touch doesn't soothe her. Instead, his strong hand holding hers only seems to fuel her desire to tell Penelope exactly where she can go and how to get there.

"No." Blair shakes her head, turning back to her minion. "Listen closely, Penelope, because I am not going to say this twice. If I ever hear you say one disparaging thing about Dan again, you will regret it." Penelope opened her mouth to speak, which only seemed to infuriate Blair more and she was about to really let Penelope have it when Dan looped his arm around her waist and spun her toward the dance floor. "Dan, what…" Blair looked around a little wildly and Dan just smiled, pulling her close.

"You know, you're awfully sexy when you're protective like that." Dan dips his head to kiss her shoulder.

"Well, I'm certainly not going to allow some lowly minion to think she's entitled to have a say in my love life." Blair grumbles, glaring in Penelope's direction. "I mean, who does she think she is? I made her! I…"

"Blair, can we please stop talking about Penelope?" Looks down at her with a small smile and Blair opens her mouth to tell him that it was necessary to keep people like Penelope in check but the look on his face promptly shuts her up. "Um, Blair, you should probably prepare yourself…" Dan murmurs and Blair looks up at him, confused. "Chuck just got here." Dan feels Blair stiffen in his arms and he gives her a reassuring smile before leaning forward to press his mouth to hers in a soft kiss. "It'll be OK. It's a big party, we can just avoid him…"

"Well, hopefully at the very least he's sober." Blair takes a breath but pauses at the look on Dan's face as he stares at the door in complete shock and Blair frowns, slowly turning in the direction Dan is staring. Her jaw drops in the most unladylike way when she sees Vanessa at Chuck's side. Chuck lays a hand on her back and guides her toward the bar and all Blair can do is stare.

"What the…" Blair turns back to Dan to see that he is wearing a similar expression.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Blair can't resist rolling her eyes when the door to the ladies' room opens and Vanessa steps inside.

"You know, this is a whole new level of desperation, Vanessa, even for you." Blair eyes her with contempt as she retrieves lip gloss from her purse and applies it carefully. "Did you really think that showing up here with Chuck was going to get you back in Dan's good graces? I guess all those years of wearing hemp clothing has given you a permanent buzz." Blair gives her a sickly sweet smile as she turns to leave.

"Gee, Blair, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were jealous." Vanessa turns, leaning against the vanity.

"Please." Blair lets out a short laugh. "I'm not jealous, Vanessa. I have nothing to be jealous about. I have Dan, who loves me. And you have my slightly unstable, borderline alcoholic ex who, incidentally, also loves me. Out of the two of us, I don't think it's me who is jealous."

Blair leaves Vanessa staring after her as she leaves the powder room, heading back into the party and her eyes scan the room for Dan. She stops when she sees him swaying with Serena in the middle of the dance floor, the two of them talking quietly to each other.

Blair tries to stop the swirl of insecurity that twists in her stomach but fails epically when Serena says something to Dan, who nods and the two of them disappear outside onto the veranda.

"Well, it looks like maybe Dan doesn't love you as much as you seem to think." Vanessa appears at her side and Blair just looks at her. "You should really get used to this, Blair. Get used to him ditching you so he can race off and save Serena because that's what he does." Vanessa eyes her with a smug smile.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Blair shakes her head in disgust, attempting (and probably failing) to not let the girl next to her see just how much her words were affecting her. She turns away, striding purposefully across the room toward the door her boyfriend and best friend had just disappeared through. She pauses for a second when she reaches the door and is about to push it open when she glances through the window, freezing at the sight of Dan and Serena sitting closely on a bench. Bile rises in her throat when Serena reaches for Dan's hand and smiles softly at him before moving closer to him and resting her head on his shoulder. Blair suddenly feels lightheaded. This could _not_ be happening. Not again. She wanted to look away, push the door open and scream, do something, anything but her body feels like it's weighs a ton and all she can do is stare.

She needed to get out of there. She had to get out of there now. Willing herself not to cry, Blair spun on her heel and made her way toward the exit as fast as she could. It wasn't until the cool night air hit her did she really start to allow herself to even contemplate what she had just witnessed.

The memory of Serena reaching for Dan flooded through her mind and her stomach turned. She knew that smile. That was the Serena Van der Woodson 'You're My Hero' smile. Blair could recognize it anywhere. That was the smile Serena always gave right before she mesmerized some guy and he fell hopelessly in love with her.

"Blair…" Chuck's voice brings her back to reality and by now she's so emotionally exhausted that all she can do is turn her head slightly to look at him.

"Come to gloat, Bass?" There are no emotions behind her words and Chuck frowns at her.

"Why would I be here to gloat?" Chuck watches her carefully and Blair scoffs, turning away and searching for her car. "Blair, what happened?"

Blair pauses at the (genuine?) concern in Chuck's voice. She glances over his shoulder to see Dan and Serena coming toward the door, both of them looking around and Blair suddenly feels like she's going to burst into tears.

"Where the hell is my car?" Blair looks around, slightly frantic and Chuck reaches out to touch her arm.

"Blair, breathe." Chuck's voice is strangely calming but the sight of Dan and Serena getting closer and closer makes her heart pound in her chest in a way that is anything but enjoyable.

"I need to get out of here… now!" Blair spins around again, desperately searching for her car when Chuck rests his hand on the small of her back.

"My limo is right here." Chuck says quietly and Blair meets his gaze for a brief second before glancing at the limo parked by the curb. She looks at Chuck again, her emotions waging a war inside of her. Finally, she looks toward the door again, her eyes landing on Dan and Serena once more and Blair quickly nods at Chuck.

"Fine. Just get me out of here, Chuck." Blair practically pleads as she spins around and rushes toward the waiting limo. She doesn't see Chuck throw a satisfied smile toward the door as he follows after her.

**XXXXXXX**

"Thank you for listening to me, Dan." Serena smiles a little as they sit down.

"Of course." Dan nods. "I'm really sorry about you and Ben. I know how much you liked him."

"I just don't understand it. I thought that we were fine and then out of no where he just ended it." Serena shakes her head and the two of them are quiet for a moment. "I'm really glad that you're here, Dan." Serena reaches for his hand, a soft smile adorning her face but Dan stiffens when she slides closer and rests her head on his shoulder.

"Serena…" Dan stands up quickly. "Look, I'm more than happy to be here for you, but it's only as your friend. I love Blair. You and I…"

"Oh my god!" Serena gasps, realization splashing across her face and she jumps to her feet. "Dan, I'm so sorry. I wasn't even thinking. I just got caught up because of our history and it's always been so easy to be around you. But of course we're just friends. I would never do that to Blair again."

"OK, good." Dan breathes a slight sigh of relief, thankful that hadn't gotten more awkward and beyond grateful that Blair hadn't appeared at the wrong time because he knows that she would have assumed the worst. "We should find Blair. She's probably wondering where we are."

Dan sends a Serena a small smile before turning to head inside but Serena grabs his arm and he reluctantly turns to look at her.

"I'm really sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I didn't mean to. You know that I think you and Blair are great together." Serena looks at him seriously and Dan is quiet for a second before he nods.

"Yeah, of course." He says finally. "Let's just forget the whole thing."

"OK, good." Serena says, relief evident in her face. "Let's go find Blair."

The two of them head inside and Dan looks around the room for his petite girlfriend, frowning when he doesn't see her. He and Serena run into Eric, who tells them that he saw Blair heading toward the exit not too long ago. He thanks Serena's brother and takes off toward the door.

"Do you see her?" Serena asks, looking around and Dan shakes his head. Did she leave? Why would she leave without coming to find him? He frowns before pulling out his phone to see if he missed a call. Nothing.

"Dan, is that Blair?" Serena points through the glass door and Dan turns. "Is that Chuck!"

Serena's eyes are bulging from her head and Dan just stares in confusion and disbelief for a moment before bolting toward the door. He gets outside just in time to see Blair climb into a limo with Chuck close behind her.

Dan just stares, completely frozen as the limo pulls away form the curb before he turns to Serena, who looks just as dumbfounded as he is. What the hell was going on?

"I told you." Dan looks over his shoulder and sees Vanessa watching the two of them, looking way too pleased with herself.

"What did you do?" Dan stalks toward her and Vanessa at least has enough sense to look alarmed. "What the hell did you do, Vanessa? What did you say to her?"

"I didn't say a thing to her." Vanessa shrugs. "Blair is just showing her true colors, Dan. It's about time you realized that this is who Blair Waldorf really is. This is who she has always been."

"Why are you even here, Vanessa?" Serena cuts in. "You had to have known that you weren't wanted here. And to show up with Chuck? What exactly did you think you were going to accomplish?"

"Absolutely nothing." Vanessa just shakes her head with a smile and Dan has to restrain himself from shaking her. "Chuck needed a date and I wanted to be here when you finally saw that Blair hasn't changed."

"If I found out that you had anything to do with this, Vanessa, I swear to God, you will regret the day that you ever came back to Manhattan." Dan growls at her, pushing past her as he storms toward their limo. Serena looks at Vanessa for a second before shaking her head and following after Dan.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N - So I started writing this today and just couldn't stop. **

**Disclaimer - I own nothing**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_This is Blair, leave a message._

"Damn it!" Dan curses when he gets Blair's voice mail again. "She's not answering." He lets out a sigh before opening his phone again and quickly typing out the text.

_Whatever Vanessa said, we can work it out. Call me, please. - Dan_

He scrolls to Blair's name and hits send, praying that she'll call him back, text him back, send him a smoke signal, anything really so he knows that she's OK. His mind flashes back to her climbing into that limo with Chuck and his stomach turns. He's all too familiar with their history and limos. No! He shakes his head, forcing the image of Chuck and Blair together like that from his head. Blair, no matter how angry she was with him, wouldn't do that. He pushes the thoughts from his head as he glances at Serena, who's sitting next to him, texting furiously on her cell. He can only assume that she's texting Blair as well.

"So where do we think they would have gone?" Serena flips her phone shut and looks at him expectantly. "I think the obvious choices would be the Penthouse or the Empire."

"OK, then we start with the Empire."

**XXXXXXXXX**

"Blair, are you going to tell me what happened?" Chuck's voice brings her back to reality and she slowly turns to look at him sitting next to her in back of the limo. This was a bad idea. Her and Chuck alone in a limo was _always _a bad idea.

"I don't know. I think this might have been a mistake." Blair rubs her hand over her face warily.

"You and Humphrey?" Blair immediately notices the hope that lines his tone and she looks at him for long moment.

She can't help but remember the first time they had ended up in this almost exact situation. She can still hear his voice in her head, his low drawal asking if she was sure. There are times when she can still see small glimpses of the boy who made love her to that night but, lately, the majority of the time it feels like she's looking at someone she barely knows anymore. But regardless, he's still Chuck and she's still Blair. They're connected. She can't deny that.

"Blair…" He murmurs, moving closer to her and she knows what's about to happen. She knows that all she has to do is close her eyes and in mere seconds Chuck's lips will be on hers; that all she has to do is give him permission and he'll make her forget Dan Humphrey ever existed - at least for a little while. "Talk to me, Blair."

Chuck reaches for her hand, squeezing it gently as he rests his head on the seat, looking at her softly and to say that Blair is surprised is probably the understatement of the century.

"What?" Blair looks at him sceptically.

"Talk to me. Tell me what happened." Chuck says again. Blair opens her mouth to speak when her phone beeps loudly and she pulls it out of her purse to look down at the text from Dan.

_Whatever Vanessa said, we can work it out. Call me, please. - Dan_

Sighing, she shut her phone, placing it back in her purse before closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the seat for a second. Vanessa. Was this all Vanessa's fault? No, it couldn't have been. Vanessa may have planted the seed in her head, but she certainly didn't force Dan to go off with Serena… again.

"It's Dan… and Serena." Blair whispers, slowly opening her eyes and turning to her head slightly to meet Chuck's gaze. "I saw… something. I don't even know really what it was. It could have been innocent, I suppose. And I don't want to believe that either of them is capable of somethng like this but the way Serena was looking at him, it felt like Nate all over again, only a hundred times worse. And that stupid whore Vanessa was there spewing all of this crap and I just felt like I couldn't breathe…" Blair looks away quickly, blinking away tears as they sting her eyes.

"I shouldn't have brought Vanessa." Chuck reaches up and softly brushes the tears from her cheek. "I was trying to make you jealous and piss off Humphrey. I should have known that she would cause trouble, though. I'm sorry."

"Chuck Bass apologizing. Wow." Blair cracks a small smile and Chuck lets out a dry chuckle.

"Only for you." Chuck smirks but suddenly becomes serious. "I'm not expecting anything, Blair. I'm not going to try anything. I just want to be here for you tonight - however you need me."

"Thank you, Chuck." Blair smiles back. Chuck nods, hesitating before taking her hand again and Blair stares at their entwined fingers before pulling her eyes back up to his face. The two of them look at each other for a moment and Blair turns to look out the window

**XXXXXXX**

"Blair! Blair!" Dan charges off the elevator into Chuck & Nate's apartment with Serena close on his heels. He throws open the door to Chuck's bedroom, half afraid of what he might find but he heaves a sigh of relief at the empty room.

"Blair? Chuck?" Serena calls making her way into the living room. "Nate?" Silence. "OK, well, silver lining, you didn't walk in on the two of them having sex…" Serena says and Dan just looks at her. "I'm trying here, Dan."

"I know. I'm sorry." Dan lets out a frustrated sigh as he jabs the elevator button. "It's just the longer she's gone... Blair's upset and she's with Chuck and I don't trust that bastard not to try something."

"Yeah, but even if he does, that doesn't mean that Blair is going to do anything." Serena says immediately.

"I don't know, Serena. You know Blair. She doesn't always think before she acts. And if Vanessa said something to her to make her think…" Dan trails off, hitting the elevator button a few more times in the vain hope that it would speed the stupid lift up.

After what feels like forever the elevator finally opens and Nate steps out, stopping when he sees Dan and Serena.

"Hey guys, what are you two doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at that charity thing?" Nate asks, glancing between his two friends. "I'm running really late. I just came back to throw on my tux and head over there now."

"Have you seen Chuck or Blair?" Dan asks immediately and Nate looks at him, confused for a second before his features morph into a mask of worry.

"No." Nate shakes his head slowly. "Why? What's going on?"

"We're not sure, but we think that Vanessa may have said something to Blair to upset her enough that she left the party with Chuck."

"She left the party with Chuck?" Nate stares at them in shock. "Well, did you try calling them? Texting?"

"Neither one of them is answering." Serena shakes her head. "Look, you weren't at the party tonight so maybe if you call, Chuck might answer."

"Yeah, yeah, of course." Nate nods immediately, pulling his cell phone out and scrolling through his contacts.

"We're going to check the penthouse. Call us if you reach them." Dan calls over his shoulder as he and Serena step onto the elevator.

**XXXXXXXXX**

"Nathaniel, what can I do for you?" Chuck says quietly into his phone as he glances at Blair, who was dozing next to him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Nate immediately snaps. "Where the hell are you? Dan and Serena are looking for Blair."

"Yes, well, Blair doesn't want to see either one of them right now." Chuck throws another glance in Blair's direction before slipping out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.

"What did you do?" Nate tone is accusatory. "Serena and Dan mentioned something about Vanessa, but this whole thing stinks of Bass to me."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Archibald." Chuck's voice is calm. "Blair was upset, she asked me to take her away from the party. You know that I can't say no to her."

"For once just cut the crap, Chuck!" Nate finally really looses his temper. "You know, I put up with a lot from you. And even after all of the shit that you put Blair through, I still defended you to Dan. I told him that you may have fucked up a lot but you did love her. But this… intentionally going out of your way to make sure that she gets hurt. And for what? So you can pick up the pieces and she'll just magically forget everything that's happened. It doesn't work that way, man. She's crazy about him and this little stunt that you've pulled isn't going to change that. So all you've done is hurt the one person in this world that you _claim_ to love."

"Nate…"

"I don't want to hear it." Nate cuts him off. "This is the last straw, Chuck. If you do this, I'm not sure our friendship can survive."

"Nate, please…" Chuck starts but stops at the click on Nathaniel hanging up on him. He stares at his cell phone for a long moment before the door to the bedroom opens and he turns to find Blair watching him, looking slightly confused.

"Everything OK?"

"Um, yes, it appears Dan and Serena are looking for you and Nathaniel seems to think that I had something to do with whatever it was that happened between the three of you."

"Well, bringing Vanessa Abrams anywhere is not exactly something that I approve of but you didn't manipulate Dan and Serena into that situation. Not even you are that good, Chuck." Blair shakes her head and looks away for second as sadness floods her body.

"Blair…" Chuck steps forward, reaching out toward her but Blair shakes her head, moving across the room to pour herself a drink.

"I'm OK." She takes a sip of scotch (when in Rome) and looks over at Chuck. "Thank you for bringing me here, Chuck." She smiles a little as she sits down. "I don't think anyone will think to look for me here so…" She trails off as tears fill her eyes and she looks away quickly, hating herself for crying in front of Chuck of all people.

"You know that you never have to put up a front with me." Chuck sits down next to her and Blair looks down at her lap for a second before looking up at him.

"What we had… that was real, wasn't it, Chuck?" Blair's voice is barely a whisper as she stares up at him, her eyes searching his. "Do you think that what we had was real?"

Chuck is completely silent for a long time as he stares at her, before he finally reaches out to take her hand.

"I think that I'm Chuck Bass and you're Blair Waldorf. I think that what we shared together went beyond words and labels… and I think that I hurt you so many times, I'm surprised that you can even stand to be in the same room with me." Chuck looks away for a second before slowly looking back at her, nodding. "Yes, what we had was real, Blair. It was the only real thing I've ever had." They stare at each other for a what feels like hours but could only have been minutes before Chuck looks away, standing up. "Come, it's late. You really need to sleep." He holds his hand out to her and Blair hesitates for a second before taking it and standing up and following Chuck into the bedroom.

"Thank you for being here with me tonight, Chuck." Blair smiles up at him as she settles against the pillow, her eyes fluttering closed as he pulls the blanket up around her, softly brushing the hair from her forehead.

"I love you, Blair" Chuck presses a soft kiss on her forehead as she sleeps. "I always loved you."

Turning to leave the room, he pulled out his cell phone, dialing the number before he could change his mind.

"She's at The Palace, Humphrey. My old suite."

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

The hotel room door swings open before he has a chance to pound on it the way he had been planning to and Dan finds himself face to face with Chuck Bass.

"Where is she?" He shoves past Chuck and into the hotel room, looking around wildly.

"Keep your voice down, she's sleeping." Chuck glances toward the closed bedroom door and Dan feels his blood boil.

"I swear to god, Bass, if you touched her…" Dan takes a threatening step forward and Chuck stares at him as though he is most vile thing on the planet.

"I never laid a hand on her." Chuck sneers. "I never even tried." Chuck turns away, pouring himself a rather large glass of scotch and gulping it down.

"I don't understand?" Dan looks at him, still angry but confused. "Why would you call me then? I thought you just wanted to gloat."

"No, Humphrey, there will be no gloating for me." Chuck takes another drink. "Believe me, it's not like I didn't think about it. I saw this as my most opportune time. She was pissed off at you, I knew that all I had to do was turn on the Bass charm, but I couldn't." Chuck shakes his head and Dan just stares at him. "I couldn't because I love her, Humphrey, and I want her to be happy. But I don't make her happy. For some unknown reason, you make her happy." Chuck lets out a quiet sigh. "I'm in love with her, but she's not in love with me, not anymore. She's in love with you, Brooklyn."

"What?" Dan finally speaks, staring at Chuck as though he has completely lost his mind. "Blair told you that she was in love with me?"

"Of course not. To be honest, I'm not even sure she's admitted it to herself yet." Chuck shakes his head, taking another long drink. "But she didn't have to say anything to me. I know Blair better than I know myself. If this had just been about her pride or her ego, there would have been yelling and screaming, plotting and revenge. There was none of that. She just sat there, looking completely lost. That was when I knew. She had same look on her face when she confronted me about Jack - that's how I know that this one goes deep for her." Chuck finishes off the glass of scotch, laying it on the bar before turning to look at Dan one last time. "So I'm going to do what she asked me to do. I'm going to let her go." Chuck swallows hard and for a second Dan thinks that he sees tears in the other man's eyes. "I've hurt her enough for one lifetime, Humphrey, so treat her right. Treat her the way she deserves to be treated."

Chuck gives him one last look before picking up his overcoat and heading toward the door and, again, all Dan can do is stare.

"But…" Chuck pauses at the door to look back at him seriously. "If you hurt her, all bets are off and I will end you."

Chuck gives him one last look before disappearing out the door and Dan is frozen to his spot for a few seconds before he slowly turns, staring at the closed bedroom door.

He slowly makes his way over and hesitates for a second before turning the knob and walking into the dimly lit room. His eyes soften when he sees Blair asleep on the bed and he lets out a breath.

"Blair…" His whispers, sitting down on the bed next to her and reaching out to brush the hair from her face. "Blair…"

"Wha…" She reluctantly opens her eyes and looks up at him, slightly confused. "What's going on?" Her eyes start to clear and they widen is surprise when they focus on him. "Dan? What are you doing here?" Blair quickly sits up, her eyes darting to the door. "How did you find me?"

"Chuck called me." Dan says simply and Blair's jaw drops. "Yeah, I know. I had a similar reaction. He just left."

"I don't understand…" Blair still looks completely confused.

"I think, in his own Chuck Bass way, he gave us his approval." Dan shakes his head and Blair continues to stare at him. "So, do you want to tell me what happened tonight?"

"I…" Blair bites her lip nervously, looking away. "I saw you and Serena outside on the veranda and I just…"

"You saw that…" Dan sighs heavily, running his fingers through his hair. "Blair that was nothing. Serena was just upset about Ben and she got carried away. It didn't mean anything"

"It always means something with you and Serena." Blair shakes her head, looking away.

"Just like it always means something with you and Chuck?" Dan asks and Blair's eyes widen and Dan sighs again. "OK, look, Blair we both have pasts and we both come with baggage. I had a serious relationship with your best friend. I can't change that. I can't erase that time that I spent with Serena, but you are the only woman that I want." He leans forward to take her face in his hands gently. "I am in love with you, Blair. And I'll say it as many times as I have to until you finally start believing it."

"I do believe it. I do." Blair gives him a watery smile as tears fill her eyes. "I know that I need to work on these issues that I have when it comes to Serena, but when I saw the two of you together, I just lost it. The thought of losing you, it was like I couldn't breathe and it hurt so bad."

"That just means that it's real." Dan rests his forehead against hers. "Promise me that from now on you will talk to me. That's the only way that this is going to work, Blair."

"I promise." Blair nods.

"Come on, let's get you home." Dan pulls back the blanket and helps Blair off the bed, wrapping his arm around shoulders and holding her close to him.

"Dan…" Blair falters for a second, pulling away to look up at him nervously. "I'm really sorry for all of this." She leans in to press her lips to his gently. "And I know this is probably the worst possible time for me to say this, and you probably won't even believe me, but I just wanted you to know that I love you. I'm in love with you. That was pretty much the only good thing that I realized tonight." She quickly brushes the tears from her eyes.

Dan is quiet for a long moment before a smile spreads across his face and he wraps his arms around her, kissing her deeply.

"I know." He whispers into her ear. "I love you too." Blair looks up at him for a second before she smiles, kissing him once more.

"I'm going to get my purse. I'll be right back." She makes her way to the main room and finds her purse on the coffee table. She digs out her cell, quickly typing out the simple text: _Thank you_ before hitting send. Almost instantly her phone deeps and she looks down.

_Only for you - C_

Tears fill her eyes as she stares at the text for second before dropping the phone back into her clutch and she looks up to find Dan waiting by the door.

"Ready?" He looks at her expectantly and Blair nods, making her way toward him.

"Yeah, let's go home." Blair smiles up at him as Dan wraps his arm around her and kisses her temple one last time before they head out.

**A/N 2 - Hey guys! So that was it, I know I clued up all that drama with Chuck quickly but I wanted to close that whole thing with Chuck completly so that the threat of Chuck wasn't hanging over the rest of the story. I also wanted to redeem Chuck a bit. I've written him kind of douchy but I do like to believe that if push came to shove Chuck would do the right thing and step aside like he did in S2 with Nate if that meant Blair was happy. Anyhoo, that's all. I hope you like it. Please review! **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N - Hey you guys. So sorry for the delay in updating. Work just completely kicked my ass this week. Chapter 11 is almost finished so it should be up really soon. I think I got all of the typos, if I didn't please let me know. This chapter is kind of a filler but I hope you like it! Please review! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

"I should call Serena…" Blair says quietly as Dan unlocks the door to the loft and holds the door open for her. "I owe her an apology."

"It's late. You can call her tomorrow. Besides, Serena knows that it was misunderstanding." Dan murmurs, moving to slide his arms around her waist as he buries his face in her hair, breathing in her scent and crushing her against him just to prove to himself that she's really there. He pulls away to look at her, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. The two of them stare at each other for a moment before Dan lowers his head to brush his lips across hers. "You scared me tonight."

"I'm sorry." Blair shakes her head as she looks up at him, gently running her fingers along his jaw. "I'm sorry that I always let my insecurities get the best of me."

"You have nothing to be insecure about." Dan smiles down at her, taking her face in his hands and pressing his mouth to hers again. "I love you, Blair." He whispers. "I love arguing Salinger versus Hemingway with you. I love the way you steal my popcorn at the movies. I love the way you laugh. I love being the one who makes you laugh." Dan pauses for a second, lacing their fingers together as he lifts her hand to his lips, kissing it lightly. "I love the way your hand feels like it was made for me to hold and how you look in my bed after we make love, when you're wrapped up in my sheets and your hair is a mess but you're still devastatingly beautiful." He kisses her again. "I love the fact that even though there's no love loss between you and my sister, when you thought there might be something wrong with her you were genuinely concerned, because you knew that if anything happened to her it would kill me." Blair looks away slightly embarrassed and Dan lifts her chin, forcing her to look at him. "And I love how fiercely protective you are of the people that you care about."

"Dan…" Blair looks up at him, tears swimming in her eyes and she quickly swipes at her cheeks.

"I can keep going." Dan smiles down at her for a second before kissing her sweetly. "I can go on all night if you want me to."

"I don't deserve you." Blair reaches up to brush her hand across his cheek.

"You're kind of stuck with me, Waldorf." Dan's hand moves to cup the back of her head and he pulls her toward him again, capturing her lips in a kiss that literally makes her dizzy. "Come on, let's go to bed." He kisses her once more. It's a soft kiss but full of meaning and Blair can only smile at him through happy, slightly disbelieving, tears as she holds onto his hand tightly and follows him into his room. Kicking off her heels, Blair sighs in relief when her bare feet hit the floor while Dan digs through his dresser and after a moment he pulls out a t-shirt for her to wear, turning to hand it to her.

She can't help but smile when she holds up the old Lincoln Hawk shirt, which she had inadvertently claimed as her own when Dan woke one night to find her curled up on the couch reading in nothing but said shirt. From the moment he saw her beautifully sculpted legs peeking out from under the hem he had known that he never wanted to see anyone ever wear that shirt again other than her.

Dan just smiles back as he strips off his suit and Blair can't help but think back to the tailor. Had that only been this morning? It felt like so much longer ago. All thoughts of suits and tailors leave her mind when Dan turns to look to look at her, wearing nothing but his boxers.

"Can you unzip me?" She turns around, glancing at him over her shoulder and Dan gaze is practically smouldering as he approaches, the tips of his fingers brushing across the exposed skin of her back as he slowly lowers the zipper of her dress and it falls to the floor in a pool of cloth at her feet. His hands come to rest on her hips lightly and she can't stop her eyes from closing as she leans back against him and he peppers light kisses along her shoulder and up her neck.

"I wish you could see yourself the way I see you." His voice is barely a whisper in her ear. "Because if you did, you would know that there is no way that I could ever want Serena, or anyone else for that matter." Dan's hands move to her shoulders and he gently turns her so she's facing her. "I don't want anyone but you." He takes the t-shirt from her hands and she looks at him for a second before lifting her arms slightly so he can pull the shirt over her head. "You're amazing, Blair, just the way you are."

"Did you just quote Bruno Mars, Humphrey?" Blair can't help but laugh a little as she looks up at him.

"Maybe, but it doesn't make it any less true." Dan shrugs, smiling a little before he leans in to kiss her again, his mouth exploring hers in a way that reminds her of their first kiss.

Reluctantly, he pulls away from her and takes her hand, leading her toward the bed and pulling back the sheets. They're both quiet as they climb into the bed and Blair turns on her side to look at him. Dan settles next to her, rolling to face her. Silently, Blair leans forward, brushing her nose against his for a brief second before pressing her mouth to his. Dan lets out a groan as his arm snakes around her waist almost of its own free will and he pulls her closer, hiking her leg over his hip, his hand running up her the smooth skin of her thigh and Blair shudders against him.

He buries his face in her neck, nipping at the sensitive skin there and all Blair can do is cling to him like he's a life preserver. Dan rolls them easily so she's pinned against the bed beneath him and she stares up at him. Her heart is pounding in her chest. It feels like their first time and she supposes that in some ways it is. Everything is new now, different. Every touch holds a promise of something that she can't quite put into words.

He touches her softly, gently, his fingertips barely brushing across her skin and Blair's heart swells to the point where is certain that it's going to burst from her chest. When their bodies finally connect, Blair squeezes her eyes shut in the hopes of stopping the tears that are swimming in her eyes but his fingers lacing through hers and squeezing gently causes her eyes to open and his eyes lock with hers for a long moment before he crashes his lips against hers.

"See, what did I tell you? Devastatingly beautiful." Dan murmurs into her hair afterward as she rests her head against his chest and Blair can't stop from smiling as her cheeks flush red and she struggles to keep her eyes open. "Sleep. You've got to be exhausted." Dan whispers, pressing a soft kiss on her neck and Blair finds herself smiling at the sensation it causes.

"I love you." Blair murmurs, pressing closer to him as Dan tightens his arms around her, resting his chin on the top of her head.

**XOXOXOXOXO**

Blair wakes the next morning to an empty bed and a note from Dan saying that he was gone to get coffee and would be back soon. Smiling, she grabs her Lincoln Hawk shirt from the floor and pulls it on before spotting Dan's robe on the chair in the corner and she slides that on as well, lifting the sleeve to breathe it in his scent. Tightening the robe around her, Blair makes her way to the living room, curling up on the couch and flicking on the TV. She looses herself in some stupid reality show for a few minutes when a knock on the door causes her to jump.

"Blair!" Serena throws her arms around her the moment Blair opens the door. "Dan texted me this morning and said that you were OK, but do you have any idea how worried I was?" Serena pulls away to look at her with a pained expression. "If I had anything to do with you going off with Chuck, I'm so sorry. You have to know that it wasn't like that…"

"I know, S." Blair stops her, hugging her again. "It's not your fault. I shouldn't have ran away." She shakes her head before moving to let Serena in. "Come in. Dan's gone to get coffee."

"Um…" Serena looks a little uncertain as she throws a glance toward Ben's closed bedroom door.

"He's not here." Blair says as Serena looks back at her. "Dan said last night that Ben texted him, told him that he was leaving." Serena's mouth drops in a slightly surprised 'O' and Blair frowns. "Sorry, S."

"No.. it's OK." Serena shakes her head as she comes into the loft and Blair shuts the door. "I didn't come here to talk about Ben. I came to check on you." The two of them sit down on the couch. "I wanted to make sure that you and me are OK. Whatever Vanessa said…"

"It's OK, S." Blair nods. "I trust you. I do. I was just so afraid that history was going to repeat itself. But, you're right, Vanessa didn't help matters."

"I can't believe that Chuck brought her, especially considering the role she played in what happened to me." Serena shakes her head in disgust. "That's a new low, even for Chuck."

"Chuck's not so bad." Blair whispers, staring at her hands and she can feel Serena's eyes on her. "He was actually really great to me last night. He's even the one who called Dan."

"Chuck?" Serena stares at her as though she's sure that she heard Blair wrong. "Seriously?"

"Yeah." Blair nods slowly. "I saw a side of Chuck that I haven't seen in a long time." Blair looks down for a second. "I think in some warped way we both needed last night to finally let go, I mean really let go."

"Wow, I'm impressed, B." Serena smiles. "You're really maturing. So, what about you and Dan? Are you guys OK?"

"Yeah." Blair nods with a smile. "We're better than OK. I… um… I told him that I loved him."

"Finally!" Serena exclaims, hugging the brunette again, pulling away with a huge smile and Blair looks at her a little confused. "Oh, B, I knew a while ago that you felt that way about Dan - or at the very least I knew that you could just open yourself to the possibility." Serena smiles again. "I'm really happy for you guys. You both deserve this. You both deserve to be happy."

"You deserve that too, S." Blair reaches for the blonde's hand. "You never did tell me what happened with Ben. Are you OK?" Blair asks, feeling more than a little guilty. "If I hadn't had my little meltdown, you could've talked to me. Talk to me now. What happened?"

"Actually, I don't really know?" Serena shrugs a little and Blair watches her friend with concern. "I thought that we were fine but ever since that visit from his mother, I don't know, he's been distant. It's probably for the best." Serena pauses and Blair gives her a slightly sceptical look. "No, it's true. Ben was like a fantasy; a school girl crush. I don't know if we could have ever made it long term, considering everything that happened with my mom."

Blair is quiet for a long time as she watches her friend and a proud smile slowly etches it's way across her face.

"It's looks like I'm not the only one who's maturing." Blair smiles again and the two look at each other for a second before laughing.

"I guess it was bound to happen eventually." Serena shrugs and Blair chuckles again as the door opens and Dan comes in with two coffees in hand.

"Serena! Hey…" He looks at the girls in surprise, turning to lay the coffees on the counter. "I didn't realize you were coming over."

"Yeah, sorry for not calling. I just needed to see Blair." Serena gives him a sheepish smile.

"No, no. There's no need to apologize." Dan shakes his head with a smile, picking the coffees up again and making his way toward the couch. "I would have brought you a coffee if I had known…" He looks down at her apologetically as he hands Blair the cup. "You're welcome to mine."

"No, no." Serena shakes her head quickly, standing and Blair follows suit, sipping her coffee as she did so. "I'm going to go." Serena reaches for her purse before turning to Blair. "Call me later?"

"I will." Blair nods, hugging her friend again. "Thank you for coming, S."

"I'll always come, B." Serena throws a quick smile at the two of them before disappearing out the front door and Dan and Blair are left alone.

"Did you guys work things out?" Dan asks as he and Blair settle on the couch again and Blair nods, resting her head on Dan's shoulder when he wraps an around her and pulls her closer.

"Yeah." Blair nods, sipping her coffee again and she smiles up at him. "Thanks for the coffee but you didn't need to go out."

"I didn't mind." Dan shrugs. "Are you OK?" He looks down at her seriously, his eyes searching hers.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Blair nods, snuggling closer to him.

"Good." Dan whispers into her hair. "So, what do you say we turn off our phones and stay here for a while?" He looks down at her and Blair glances up at him.

"Do you want to reinstate the Brooklyn bubble?" Blair laughs a little.

"I guess I do. Is that OK?" Dan laughs as well, a smile spreading across his face.

"I think that's a great idea." Blair whispers and Dan leans down to brush his lips over hers, causing Blair to smile again as she settles into his arms, her eyes turning back to the television.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N - Hey guys, sorry it took longer than expected for me to get this chapter up. I ended up rewriting the last part, which then ended up taking more time than I thought it would. Again, I really want to thank all of you for the review, alerts, etc. I'm glad that you guys are still liking to the story. A couple of things: This chapter has a bit of a time jump. I've jumped them ahead a few months and that's mostly because I could probably write 100 chapters of Dan and Blair's daily lives. I may be doing some more time jumps in the next few chapters, mostly because there are a few things that I want to explore before the end of the story and I think in order to do that properly (and realistically) there will need to be some time jumps. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I'll try to explain them. I hope you guys like the chapter. Please review!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

"Dan, I'm touched but I think we should just be friends." Nate smirks as Dan holds out a small velvet box when they're hanging out at the loft one afternoon.

"Shut up Archibald." Dan rolls his eyes. "They're earrings for Blair. Our anniversary is coming up. I wanted your opinion."

"Oh, OK…" Nate takes the box from Dan. "But wouldn't Serena be a better choice to ask then me?"

"Normally yes, but you know those two are thick as thieves. And you know that Blair is going to grill her. I don't trust her not to say anything and I want it to be a surprise."

"Ah, makes sense." Nate nods, looking down and opening the box to look at the small, simple diamond studs. "They're nice." Nate nods, closing the box and handing it back to Dan.

"I know they're not as extravagant as what Blair's used to getting but…" Dan looks down looks down at the earrings for a second before sliding the box back into his pocket and looking up at Nate. "I thought I'd cook her dinner here too. I think that's a pretty decent anniversary, right?

"Yeah man, Blair's going to love it. She's a sucker for that romantic stuff." Nate nods with a smile, slapping him on the back.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

"Hey, what are you doing down here?" Dan looks surprised to see Blair waiting for him outside his English class. "I figured once you transferred to Columbia, you would never step foot on this campus again?" He smiles and Blair just looks at him for a second before rolling her eyes.

"Well, normally I wouldn't but there happens to be one student who goes here that I actually stomach." Blair crinkles her nose at him and Dan just chuckles, looping his arm around her waist and leaning down to kiss her.

"I really hope that one student is me." He murmurs against her lips and Blair laughs. "So, seriously, not that I mind seeing you, obviously, but what are doing all the way down here in the middle of the day? Don't you have classes today?"

"It's Thursday. I only have one morning class remember? And I knew this was your last class for today, so I thought that I would surprise you." Blair links her arm through his as they make their way toward the coffee shop and Dan nods, smiling down at her.

"Well, it's a wonderful surprise." He kisses her forehead lightly before pulling open the door to café and Blair smiles, stepping in. "Coffee?" He raises an eyebrow at her and Blair nods. "Grab a table." Dan smiles again before heading toward the counter, glancing over his shoulder as Blair makes her way toward a table in the corner. Blair is texting furiously when he approaches the table with their drinks and she looks up with a smile.

"Thank you." She sips her latte as Dan settles into his seat across from her.

"So, what's really going on, Blair?" Dan leans back in his chair, watching his girlfriend closely. She was planning something, he could tell. "Are we plotting against someone again?"

"No." Blair reaches across the table to slap his hand lightly and Dan smiles. "OK, so, um, I guess you know what tomorrow is right?"

An amused smile spreads across Dan's face as he looks at her.

"Yeah, I do. Actually, I…" Dan begins.

"We didn't really discuss anything so I didn't know if you had anything planned, but I pulled some strings and I was able to get us a 8:30 reservation at Masa tomorrow night." Blair beams happily and Dan just looks at her. "I know it's a little early but it was the best I could do on such short notice."

"Masa?" Dan says slowly. "I thought it took weeks to get a reservation there."

"It does." Blair beams. "But I dropped my mother's name and Lily's…" Blair gives him a slightly embarrassed smile. "I hope it's OK that I made the reservation without talking to you first." Blair reaches across the table again to rest her hand on Dan's. "It's just that it's taken us a while to really get our footing, but I feel like we're there now and I just wanted tomorrow to be a new beginning for us."

Dan's quiet for a long moment as he looks at his girlfriend, who is watching him practically jumping out of her skin.

"Yeah, of course. Masa sounds great." Dan says finally and Blair lets out a little squeal as she leans across the table to kiss him.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

"Are you OK?" Blair asks the next evening when they're seated at their table at Masa.

"Sure." Dan nods but Blair frowns. Clearly something was bothering him. She was able to sense his tension from the moment that he picked her up but she couldn't figure out what was wrong.

"OK, well, did you want your present?" Blair tries another approach and Dan looks up at her. "Here." She holds out a small wrapped gift and Dan pauses for a second before slowly taking the package from her.

"Um, I got you something too." Dan reaches into his coat pocket and slowly (almost reluctantly Blair notices) pulls out a similar sized gift, holding it out to her. Blair gives him a bright smile as she rips the paper off and opens the small velvet box. Her expression softens as she looks down at the earrings before she lifts her gaze to Dan again.

"Thank you. I love them." She leans across the table to kiss him quickly before nodding toward the gift in Dan's hands. "So open yours."

Dan gives her a small smile before slowly opening the package and he freezes at the distinctive blue box in his hand. He throws a slightly perturbed look at Blair and she frowns again before shaking her head and grabbing the box from him.

"I scoured the city looking for just the right ones." Blair lifts the cover off the Tiffany's box and pulls out the small black box, opening it and holding it out for Dan to look at. His eyes slowly drop to the sterling silver cuff links for a second before he looks back at Blair. "They're monogrammed too. See, DH."

"Blair, you shouldn't have. This is too much." Dan shakes his head, closing the box. Blair frowns again but before she has a chance to say anything the waiter arrives with their first course. However, she decides not to focus on that and attempts to make small talk through out the whole meal but Dan's responses are less then forthcoming. By the time the get back to the penthouse, Blair is beyond frustrated.

"Dan, what is your problem?" She grabs his arm when they step off the elevator.

"Nothing." Dan shakes his head, turning away and heading toward the stairs.

"Like hell nothing." Blair snaps. "You have been sullen and moody all night! Why are you so upset? What did I do?"

"Are you serious?" Dan's eyes flash angrily as he spins around. "For god's sake Blair, how much did you spend on that meal?"

"What?" Blair stares at him in complete disbelief. Is that what he was angry about? Masa? "Dan, what are you talking about? Did you not enjoy dinner?"

"I don't care about the stupid dinner, Blair!" Dan snaps and Blair just stares at him. "All I wanted was to spend tonight with you! I certainly didn't need you to waste a normal person's monthly salary on dinner and cuff links that I don't even need!"

"Well, I'm sorry for trying to make our anniversary special." Blair crosses her arms, anger bubbling in her blood.

"We didn't need all of this, Blair!" Dan crosses the room to stand in front of her. "Why couldn't we have just spent a quiet evening alone together at the loft?"

"Because!" Blair screams in frustration, hitting his chest. "_Every_ night is a quiet evening alone at the loft!"

"Gee, I didn't realize that spending time with me was so horrible for you." Dan barks at her, spinning on his heel and heading into the living room.

"Do not put words in my mouth, Dan Humphrey!" Blair charges after him. If Humphrey wanted a fight tonight he was certainly going to get one. "That is not what I said and you know it! What is so wrong with me wanting to go out for our anniversary? If you didn't want to go to Masa, maybe you should have grown a pair and told me that instead of acting like a complete ass all night!"

"Really Blair? And when was I supposed to tell you that?" Dan glares at her. "After you had already made the reservation? When you told me that the limo was going to pick me up at 7:30 sharp so I better be ready? Or maybe when you told me that it was comfortable and casual, but not Brooklyn comfortable and casual, so maybe I should wear the sweater you bought me?"

"So I was supposed to just let you wear whatever? Masa has a dress code and it doesn't include plaid!" Blair snaps and it's Dan's turn to let out a frustrated scream.

"I like plaid! Plaid is who I am!" Dan finally snaps and his voice echoes through the empty apartment. "I don't need $300 cashmere sweaters or $900 meals or $1,800 Armani suits or fucking monogrammed cuff links! I'm not Chuck Bass! So stop trying to make me into him!"

Blair gasps as soon as the words leave his mouth and her hand flies out to connect sharply with his cheek, causing Dan to wince a little at the sting. Her breathing is shallow as she stares at him, willing herself not to cry as tears sting her eyes, and she looks away for a second.

"Shit. Blair, I…" Dan begins but stops when Blair lifts her head.

"Get out." Her tone is as cold as the look in her eyes and Dan blanches.

"Blair, I didn't…" Dan tries again and Blair shoves him as hard as she can toward the elevator.

"I said, get out!" Blair shoves him again.

"Blair…" Dan reaches for her, his expression remorseful. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

"Yes, you did." Blair crosses her arms as she shakes her head at him. "But if you think that I'm going to apologize to you for being who I am, for liking nice things and wanting my boyfriend to have nice things, then you are delusional, Humphrey." Blair pauses for a second. "Because the truth is that I don't want to spend every single night watching movies in Brooklyn! I want to go to parties and eat in nice restaurants and I want my companion to be dressed appropriately! That doesn't make me a bad person, Dan! But I guess that doesn't matter because, apparently, it's all about what you want! You never stop to think about what I want!"

"Have you completely lost your mind? All I ever do is think about you want! This is how we ended up here to begin with!" Dan clenches his fist as his frustration starts to rise again.

"All you ever do is think about what I want?" Blair stares at him for a second before letting out a sarcastic laugh. "That is the biggest load of crap I have ever heard! The fact of the matter is, I am the only one who has had to sacrifice_ anything_ for this relationship!"

"Please! What the hell have you sacrificed?" Dan scoffs. "I'm the one who had to sit around and wait until you figured out all of your shit with Chuck! I'm the one that's being led around like your little Brooklyn charity case! Yeah, you've really sacrificed! I'm so sorry for wanting to keep what little bit of dignity I have left, Blair!"

"I almost lost my _best friend _because of this relationship!" Blair screams practically at the top of her lungs. "Do you have any idea how horrible that was for me? The thought that Serena might not forgive me, it literally tore me up inside. But I was willing to do it… for you because I thought that you were worth it. Although right now, for the life of me, I can not figure out why!" Blair turns away, heading for the stairs but stops to look back at him. "You know, you accused me of trying to turn you into Chuck but you're doing a fine job of that all on your own…preying on my weaknesses and throwing my mistakes in my face to hurt me, you might as well change your last name to Bass because that's classic Chuck." Blair pauses for a second as she takes a shaky breath and all Dan can do is stare. "You don't have to worry about being my charity case anymore, Dan, because you can take your dignity and you can go to hell."

Blair swallows the sob that's rising in her throat as she turns away, heading up the stairs.

"If you walk away again, Blair, I'm not going to chase after you." Dan's voice stops her half way up the stairs. Blair hesitates and for a second Dan thinks that she's going to turn to look at him. His heart sinks when, instead, she squares her shoulders and continues up the stairs.

**XOXOXOXOXO **

By the time Dan gets back to Brooklyn, he's completely wrecked. How had this evening turned into such a complete mess? How the hell had they gone from celebrating their anniversary to… breaking up? Had he and Blair just broken up? He didn't even know. Falling onto to the couch, Dan dropped his head in his hands for a second before staring at his cell phone on the coffee table. Should he call her? Should he go back to the city and force her to see him? Should he just wash his hands of the whole thing and forget her? That was certainly an option. If he just walked away now, in no time at all he'd be laughing about those few months when he thought he was in love Blair Waldorf.

The thought makes his stomach turn and Dan swears under his breath. Yeah, the only problem with that scenario was that he didn't _think_ he was in love with Blair - he was in love with her, point blank. There was no getting around it. He didn't want to walk away and forget her. He _couldn't _walk away and forget her. She was all that he wanted.

_If you can get passed those walls, you won't find anyone who's got a bigger heart._

Nate's words from months ago echo in his mind and Dan dropped his head into his hands again. Nate, for all of the ribbing about him not being so smart, had been right about that. Yes, it had been a struggle but he had been able to finally get Blair to open up to him, to let him see the amazing girl that he knew was in there, and what does he do? He plays the Chuck card. What the hell was the matter with him? After everything that they had gone through to be together, how could he have fucked it up so bad? And now it was just over? _This _just couldn't be the way they ended.

Sighing Dan picked his phone up and flipped it open, scrolling through his contacts to Blair's name. No, he couldn't call her. He needed to see her. He had to fix this. Grabbing his keys, Dan bolted from the loft and down the stairs. Pushing the door to the street open, he freezes when he finds Blair pacing on the sidewalk in front of his building.

"Blair?" She looks up with a start at Dan's voice and the two of them stare at each other for a long moment. "What are you doing here? How long have you been out here?"

"A while." Blair crosses her arms defensively as Dan approaches her and he frowns but doesn't say anything. He supposes that he deserves that. "I had my driver bring me here but I couldn't bring myself to actually go in."

"But you came…" Dan's expression softens as he looks at her.

"I don't know why." Blair looks up at him, her arms still crossed. "I'm still so mad at you, Humphrey. You had no right to say those things to me…"

"I know. I didn't have the right to say any of that to you, Blair." Dan slowly reaches out to brush the hair from her face. "It looks like this time I let my insecurities get the best of me. I shouldn't have said that you were trying to turn me into Chuck."

"Then why did you say it? Because if you actually think that little of me…" Blair shakes her head quickly, tears stinging her eyes and Dan cringes. He hated to see her cry and he really hated being the reason that she cried.

"I don't believe that, Blair. You know I don't believe that." Dan sighs a little, lifting his hand to wipe the tears from her face. "It all just got to be too much. The clothes and the restaurants… Lily Van der Woodson Bass Humphrey may be my stepmother, but that's not my world. I don't need to wear fancy clothes or eat at expensive restaurants. I'm not that guy. I'm the guy that wants to wear jeans and plaid and spend my nights curled up with my girlfriend."

"Dan, you know that I love curling up with you at the end of the day." Blair blinks back tears again as she shakes her head. "But the clothes and the restaurants, that's still my world. I'm the girl who likes wearing Prada and Dior and who likes to eat at Masa. I can't change who I am, Dan, and I won't apologize for it either." Blair takes a shaky breath as she looks up at him, taking his face in her hands. "But, you have to know that I never meant to make you feel bad about who you are or where you come from. The fact that you are nothing like Chuck Bass is just one of the many reasons that I love you. I wasn't thinking. I'm used to showing the people that I care about how I feel by buying them things. I don't know any other way. I'm still kind of new at this whole healthy relationship thing, Humphrey."

"I know and I don't want fight with you, Blair." Dan's expression softens as he moves closer, his arms sliding around her waist. "I hate fighting with you." Tears fill Dan's eyes as he looks down at her. "I fucked up. I know that. I was a pompous ass. I took my frustrations out on you when I shouldn't have. It wasn't fair and I am so sorry for the things that I said to you. You tried to do something nice for me tonight and I let my pride get in the way. I don't care if we have some differences. We have a lot in common too. And we can compromise, Blair. If we stay in on Friday night, then we'll go out on Saturday."

"Dan…"

"Blair, please..." Dan tightens his arms around her and Blair just looks up at him. "Look, after everything that happened with Chuck, I told you that the only way we could ever work was if we talked to each other. I didn't listen to my own advice. I was an ass. I let my issues get in the way. I let them build up until I snapped and I'm sorry but I will never do that again." Dan brushes the hair from her face gently. "I told you that you were the most important thing in my life and I meant that. I will make this up to you, I promise." Dan looks down at her almost desperately. "I will do whatever it takes to make this up to you."

Blair is quiet as she stares at him, her eyes searching his for a long time before she lets out a sigh and slowly wraps her arms around him, burying her face in his chest.

"I guess we both made some mistakes tonight." Her voice is muffled as her tears soak into his shirt. "Do you still love me?" She looks up at him slowly and Dan just smiles before pulling her back into his arms.

"Always." Dan murmurs into her hair, his arms tightening around her. "It's almost midnight, what do you say we go inside and try and salvage the last couple of minutes of our anniversary."

"That sounds like the best idea I've heard all night." Blair nods into his chest and Dan looks down at her, kissing her deeply for a second before he leads her inside and up the stairs to the loft. Blair follows him silently, her heart pounding in her chest.

Was she crazy for coming here? It seemed like everything in her and Dan's relationship was a battle. First Serena, then Chuck, now this. There was always something or someone getting in between them. It seemed the moment they cleared one hurdle, another one popped up in front of them. And yet, they were still here, still struggling through. Wouldn't it be easier for the both of them to just cut and run now?

The thought makes her blood run cold and her stomach turn as she stares at the back on Dan's head. She still didn't know when Dan Humphrey had become the one person in the world she knew that she couldn't live without, but somewhere along the way he had. He was the only person that she wanted. That was why she had followed him to Brooklyn tonight. Yes, he had been a first class ass but how many times had she done that? How many times had she flown off the handle? Too many to count and every single time, Dan had come after her. So, she knew that this time it was her turn to come after him. The moment she heard him leave the penthouse she knew that she was going after him; that she _had_ to go after him.

She's in Dan's arms the moment they reach the loft and Blair feels her whole body flush when he buries his face in her hair, murmuring his apology over and over. Their lovemaking that night is like nothing Blair has ever known before. Sex with Dan had always been amazing but there's something different about tonight. This time is more intense than anything they've ever shared together - as if both of them know on some unconscious level that, while it was never actually said, something has changed between them forever - but in the best possible way. When they both collapse, exhausted, on the living room floor, Blair finds herself smiling as Dan drapes an old blanket over them and pulls her closer. She rests her head against his chest the way she has more times than she can remember and listens to his heart beating - slow, steady, comforting and she feels at peace in way that only happens when she's with him. The night certainly hadn't gone the way she thought it would, but when Dan's arms tighten around Blair knows that she's safe and protected… simply put, she knows that she's home. Her eyes slowly drift shut as she settles herself comfortably against him and Dan's lips brush across her forehead, causing a soft sigh to escape her lips. They might not have the perfect relationship, but it's real, that much she's sure of. And in that moment Blair can't help but think that if she could end every day (good and bad) in Dan's arms for the rest of her life... she might just be OK with that.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N - Thanks again to everyone for sticking with this story. I'm pretty happy with this chapter, so I really hope you guys don't hate me - either way, please review :)**

**Disclaimer - I own nothing**

**XOXOXOXO**

"B, what's going on?" Serena comes barging into her room and Blair looks up at her from her spot on the bed with wide, slightly scared eyes. Serena freezes at the sight of her friend before rushing across the room to sit next to her. "Are you OK? Is Dan OK?" Serena fires off all of the questions that Blair expected when she had texted her blonde friend but now that Serena's actually here she can't bring herself to actually say the words. "Blair, would you talk to me!"

Blair is silent as she looks at Serena. She opens her mouth to speak but nothing comes out. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be real. This had to be a nightmare. It had to be. She kept hoping (praying, bargaining with God) that at any moment she would going to wake up and this would end up being a horrible, horrible dream.

"Would you say something! You texted me 911, Blair, and if you don't start talking, I'm going to call Dan!" Her boyfriend's name seems to knock Blair out of the trance she was in and her head shoots up, alarm flashing in her eyes.

"You can not call Dan!" Blair looks almost terrified and Serena's face morphs into worry.

"B…" Serena reaches for her hand and Blair looks at her for a long time before reluctantly climbing off the bed. She can feel Serena's eyes watching her in confusion as she makes her way toward the bathroom and the blonde still has the same confused expression on her face when she returns and holds out her hand. "Blair, what…"

Serena trails off at the sight of the pink stick in Blair's hand and her blue eyes shoot up Blair's face in complete and total shock.

"Yeah, what you're feeling, S, times that by about a thousand and you'll have a vague idea of how I'm feeling." Tears spring to Blair's eyes and she sits back down on the bed, staring at the test in her hand like somehow _it _was to blame.

"Blair, are you sure?" Serena asks quietly and all Blair can do is nod silently.

"I took three different tests. They were all positive." Blair looks up at her for a second before bursting into tears, throwing the stupid test across the room and burying her face in her hands. How could this have happened? How could she have let this happen? She was always so meticulous when it came to protection… except that one time.

"Shh, It's OK. It's going to be OK." Serena pulls her into a hug and all Blair can do is sob into her shoulder.

"I just don't know how I could be so stupid. How could I have let this happen?" Blair looks up at Serena for a second before her eyes land on the test, laying on the floor across the room. "I don't know how I'm going to tell Dan."

"So, he doesn't know yet." Serena nods understandingly as Blair shakes her head. "It's going to be OK. Dan loves you. He'll understand. Plus, it takes two to tango. It's not like you did this alone."

"I know that, but how can I do this to him? How can I saddle him with a baby when we're not even out of college? I'm not Georgina!" Blair breaks down crying again.

"OK, well, there's a big difference between you and Georgina, Blair. For one, this baby is actually Dan's so that's one thing you've got up on her." Serena pauses for a second and glances down at Blair. "The baby is Dan's, right?" She asks slowly and Blair looks at her in complete disgust. "Sorry, just checking." Serena grimaces and Blair rolls her eyes.

"Yes, the baby is Dan's" Blair throws one more dirty look in her direction before sighing again. It's not like paternity even mattered though. She and Dan couldn't have a baby right now. They were no where close to being ready to have a baby. "I can't do this to him, S. He's been talking about what we're going to do after graduation and where we should go for graduate school. How do I take that away from him? Not to mention the fact that we're always bickering about something. It's a miracle if we can get through a week without fighting."

"Blair, that doesn't mean anything." Serena gives her a soft smile. "You may have disagreements but you two always work it out because you love each other. This baby is going to be a living, breathing expression of that love."

Blair stares at her for a second before reaching over to rest her hand against the blonde's forehead, certain that she must be running a fever. Nothing. Was she high? Had she been smoking up with Nate before she got here?

"Have you lost your mind?" Blair's voice raises an octave and Serena frowns. "_A living, breathing expression of that love_? This isn't _Knocked Up_, Serena! Dan and I aren't going to comically fumble our way through this and end up driving off into the sunset with our little bundle of joy!" Blair lets our a frustrated groan as she begins pacing the room. "Let me tell you how this is going to go down, S. Dan will do the right thing when he finds out about this baby. He'll step up and be the man that his father raised him to be. We'll stay together and we'll most likely finish college but that'll be it. That will be where our stories end. He'll end up resenting me _and this baby_ because he never got to fulfil all of the potential that you and I both know that he has and I'll end up resenting him for not being the man that I fell in love with. Basically, we're going to become like every other couple on the Upper East Side - miserable. And I can't let that happen, S. I can't let that happen to me and I can't let that happen to Dan."

"Blair, you don't know that's what's going to happen." Serena stands up to face her. "The two of you love each other. You could make this work." Serena reaches for her hand. "I know that you're scared, I'd be shocked if you weren't, but this isn't like your scare in high school. You're not that girl anymore. You could do this, Blair. You have a huge support system - more than most people have. And you have Dan. You never saw him with Milo, but believe me Dan would make a wonderful father, Blair, and I know that you would be wonderful mother. If anyone can do this, it's the two of you. Look I'm not trying to pressure you or guilt you or anything like that, I just want to make sure that you know you have options. But you know that whatever you decide, I'll support you 100%."

**XOXOXOXOXO**

Blair takes a breath as she looks out over the pond in Central Park, tossing a piece of bread to the ducks and before she can stop herself she's suddenly imagining her and Dan bringing their little boy or girl here on warm spring days. She finds herself smiling at the images her mind is conjuring up. How is it that she can imagine this so easily? Why was it so easy to picture the little boy with unmanageable dark hair like his father and her sharp tongue or the little girl with Dan's passion for writing but Blair's love of shopping?

No! She shook her head, tossing the rest of the bread quickly and rushing away from the pond. She couldn't be picturing this. She just couldn't. This wasn't apart of the plan. This couldn't be apart of the plan. She refused to let herself and Dan crash and burn the way all young parents did who ended up with children they weren't ready for. She knew what the best option was. She knew what the responsible option was. But if that was the case, why couldn't she stop the ache in her heart whenever she thought about it. Blair's hand moves to rest on her flat stomach. This was her child. This was _Dan's_ child - a child that he still didn't know about. She had to talk to him, she knew that, but it didn't make the reality any less terrifying.

The sound of her phone ringing brings Blair back to reality. Looking down, she hesitates for a second when she sees Dan's name on the screen. She had been avoiding his calls and texts all day, ever since she found out. With a deep breath, Blair slowly lifts the phone to her ear. It was the moment of truth.

"Hey." Her voice comes out a little stilted and she cringes, knowing that Dan is going to pick up on it instantly.

"Hey. You OK?" Dan asks immediately and Blair feels tears fill her eyes _again_. His first concern was always for her it seemed. "I've been calling you all day…"

"I know, I um… I had my phone on silent and I didn't realize." Blair closes her eyes for a second. She hates lying to him but this certainly isn't a conversation that they can have over the phone. "Hey, are you home? I was actually just about to head over." Blair speaks quickly before she can stop herself and she waits with bated breath, a tiny part of her praying that Dan will say he's busy so she can avoid having this conversation for a few more hours.

"Yeah, of course." Dan says almost instantly and Blair feels a mixture of emotions course through her.

The part of her that wants to keep hiding from him, that wants to avoid doing this for as long as possible, is panicking but the other part of her is almost relieved because right now all she wants to do is run to Dan and let him wrap her up in his arms so her world makes sense again.

"OK. I'll be there soon."

"Blair, is everything OK?" Dan's voice is thick with concern and Blair swallows hard for a second, thankful that he can't see the tears in her eyes.

"Yeah. I'll see you soon. I love you."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

"Hey." Dan smiles as he holds the door open for Blair a little while later and she gives him a small smile as she steps into the loft.

"Hey." Blair pauses for a second. "I, um, I need to talk to you…" Blair takes a deep breath as she slowly lays her purse down on the counter and turns to look at him. The look on her face tells Dan that something is really, really wrong.

"Blair, what's wrong? Are you OK?" He steps forward, his hand resting on her arm lightly and Blair looks up at him for a long time.

"Dan, I…" Blair blinks back tears as she slowly lowers herself onto a stool and Dan's stomach knots in fear. "I… I think I'm pregnant…" Blair looks away quickly and Dan feels all of the blood in his body rush to his head as he has flashback to Georgina and Milo.

"What?" Dan stares at her in a daze and he sinks onto the stool next to her. "How? I don't... are you sure?"

"I haven't been to a doctor yet but I took three home pregnancy tests and they all came back positive…" Blair clasps her hands in her lap as tears fill her eyes again.

"I don't understand, we were always careful. You were like a Nazi when it came to protection…" Dan trails off as the night of the their anniversary came flooding back to him; his desperation to be with her had been so intense they hadn't even made it to the bedroom. He looks toward the couch for a second before back to Blair and he doesn't even have to ask the question.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Blair murmurs. The sight of her seems to snap out of his shock and his eyes soften as he looks at her for a second before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into arms, holding her to him tightly.

"Shh. Blair, this isn't your fault. We were both there that night and I didn't think about protection either." He whispers into her hair and Blair just nods into his chest. They stay that way for a long time and Dan's mind is racing. Was this actually happening? He slowly pulls away to look at her. "How are you feeling? Are you OK?"

Almost like it has a mind of it's own Dan finds his hand moving to rest on Blair's stomach as he looks up at her. Blair lays her hand over his and the two of them look at each other for a long time.

"I'm scared, Dan." Blair bites her lip nervously and Dan's expression softens. Of course she was scared. She had to be terrified.

"I know." Dan wraps his arms around her again. "But we'll figure this out." He rests her head against hers for a second before kissing her softly. "We'll get through this, I promise." Blair nods silently. "You need to see a doctor. We need to make sure that you're OK."

"Yeah. I know. I already made an appointment for Wednesday." Blair looks up at him slowly. "You'll be there, right?"

"Of course I'll be there." Dan brushes the hair form her face. "I will be by your side the whole time."

"Dan, I..."

"Blair, stop." Dan places two finger son her lips to silence her. "I know what you're going to say and I know that we have _a lot _to figure out but let's just take this one step at time. Let's get you checked out. Once we know everything for sure, then we'll figure out our next step, OK?"

"OK." Blair nods slowly and Dan lets out a breath before pulling her back into his arms, his mind still racing at the bomb Blair had just dropped.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

"Hello…" The doctor pauses for a moment as she glances at the chart in her hand. "Blair, my name is Dr. Stevens but please feel free to call me Jan." The redheaded doctor smiles at the both of them.

"Blair Waldorf." Blair shakes the doctor's hand, a polite smile on her face - the perfect image of impeccable breeding - but Dan can see her hand shaking slightly.

"And you must be the father?" the doctor turns to Dan with a polite smile.

"Dan Humphrey." He shakes her hand quickly before reaching for Blair's, lacing their fingers together and Blair throws him a thankful smile.

He can feel Blair practically vibrating next to him throughout the visit. The doctor goes through Blair's medical history, what medications she was taking, diet. When she has Blair's life story fully recorded she looks up a smile on her face.

"OK, I think we're ready the physical examination." She makes a few notes on Blair's chart. "I'm going to let you change and I'll be right back." The doctor excuses herself, leaving the two of them alone and Blair glances at Dan when they're alone.

"Are you OK?" She asks, slowly removing her clothes. She eyes the gown with distain before pulling on and Dan can't help but smile a little - always the dictator of taste.

"I'm good." Dan kisses her forehead gently as he helps her up onto the table. "Are you OK?"

"I'm just glad you're here." Blair reaches for his hand, gripping it tightly and Dan kisses her again as the doctor returns, taking Blair's blood pressure and examining her heart, lungs and breasts.

"Everything looks good so far. Now I'm going to examine your cervix." She seems to notice Blair flinch a little and she smiles reassuringly. "There's nothing to be nervous about, Blair. This is all very routine. Examining the cervix will give us a better idea of how far along you are but we are going to give you blood and a urine test just to be sure. Just relax, this will be over before you know it."

"OK." Blair nods, taking a breath and reaching for Dan's hand again as her knees fall apart.

"You're doing great." Dan murmurs into her hair and Blair smiles up at him, grateful that he's here with her because she's not sure that she could have done this alone. After the physical examination, where it was determined that Blair was approximately 5 weeks pregnancy (which made her even more sure that the night of their anniversary was when this baby was conceived) Blair dresses and excuses herself to use the washroom and get her blood drawn. Dan jumps to his feet when she returns to the exam room, his arm immediately wrapping around her shoulder when she reaches his side. They both look up to find the doctor watching the two of them with a small smile on her face.

"OK, I'll be in touch as soon as I have the results of your blood work. In the meantime, Blair, I'm going to give you a prescription for prenatal vitamins. It's very important to your baby's development that you take them. But remember to take them on a full stomach.

"Right, OK." Blair nods, taking the prescription from her hand and glancing down at it before looking up at Dan for a second before looking back at the doctor. "Thank you, Dr. Stevens."

"You're very welcome, Blair." She smiles at the two of them. "Be sure to take care of yourself and I'll see you in about a month for your first ultrasound. Congratulations." Dr. Stevens shook both of their hands once more before Dan and Blair gathered their belongings and made their way out into the busy Manhattan street. They're both quiet on the way back to the penthouse.

"Dan, what are we going to do?" Blair asks when their safely locked away in Blair's bedroom. She sits down on the bed and looks up at him slowly.

"I don't know." Dan makes his way across the room to sit down next to her. "But, I'll support you no matter what decision you make, you know that right?"

"I know." Blair gives him a small smile as she reaches out to brush her hand across his cheek. "But this is your baby too…"

"This is your decision, Blair." Dan reaches for her hand, kissing the back of it gently.

"I love you for saying that." Blair looks up at him with watery eyes. "But this affects you just as much as it does me and whatever we decide, Dan, it has to be what we both want."

"OK." Dan nods slowly and the two of them are quiet for a moment. "Honestly?" He looks down at her and Blair nods. "Alright, honestly, this whole thing scares the crap out of me, Blair. It terrifies me. I'm mean, we're 20 years old. We're still in university." Dan pauses for a second before as he reaches out to brush his hand across her cheek. "I don't know if we're ready for this, but I do know that when I picture my future, when I picture myself having kids, it's with you. I'm in this for the long haul, Blair. So if you decide to have this baby, I will be here every step of the way."

Blair stared up at him for a long moment. He wanted the baby. He wanted her and the baby. They couldn't really do this, could they? They couldn't actually have this baby? She rests her hand on her stomach subconsciously and feels a tug on her heart. This wasn't just any baby though, this was _their _baby.

"Look, you still have a little bit of time. You don't have to make any decisions right now." Dan's voice is soothing and Blair looks up to find him watching her, his expression a mixture of concern, understanding and pure love.

"I don't need time." Blair's voice is a whisper as she reaches toward him, taking his face in her hands and pulling him toward her. "I want to have your baby, Dan Humphrey." She murmurs against his lips before kissing him softly.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N - Hey everyone. So sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up. I had it almost completely completely written and then my computer crashed so I had to rewrite it almost from scratch - which needless to say wasn't exactly fun- and as a result, this chapter probably sucks. I'm not that happy with it but hopefully you guys will like it. Anyway, here it is. Please excuse any typos, I'm sure I probably missed some. Reviews are always loved :)**

**Disclaimer - I do not own Dan, Blair or anything else associated with Gossip Girl.**

"Blair…" Dan knocks quietly on the bathroom door. "Blair, are you OK?" He slowly pushes the door open and stops when he finds his tiny brunette girlfriend hunched over the toilet. "Oh, Blair…" He moves closer, pulling her hair back and holding it away from her face.

"I don't know why they call it morning sickness, they should call it all day sickness." Blair moans when she's finally done emptying the contents of her stomach. Dan rubs her back gently for a moment, not knowing what else do and Blair looks up at him with a pitiful expression before flushing the toilet and pulling herself to her feet.

"Can I do anything?" Dan asks, holding out a box of tissues.

"Oh, I think you've done enough, Humphrey." She moves toward the sink to brush her teeth. "You know that this is all your fault, right?" Blair eyes him in the mirror as she takes a swing of mouth wash and Dan just nods with a chuckle. Blair shakes her head at him as they make their way back to the kitchen. "It looks like we can add poultry to the list of things this baby doesn't like. At the rate I'm going, I'm not going to be able to eat anything except pickles by the end of this pregnancy." Her face screws up in disgust at the thought.

"I'm sorry." Dan kisses the top of her head gently as she slowly sits down at the counter. "Here, these should help your stomach a bit." He pulls a box of saltines out of the cupboard and hands them to her before moving to get her a glass of water.

"Thanks." Blair smiles up at him as she nibbles on the cracker, half afraid that it, too, will turn her stomach.

"I do wish that there was something I could do." Dan moves to sit next to her, rubbing her back again. "I feel kind of useless here."

"No Dan, you've been great. I know that I'm not exactly fun to be around right now." Blair rests her head on Dan's shoulder and all he can do is smile as he rests his head against hers.

"You're pregnant with our child, Blair. You get to be however you want to be for the next 7 months." Dan smiles again when he feels Blair chuckle silently against him.

"Speaking of which…" Blair reluctantly sits up to look at him. "If I keep having this reaction to… well every piece of food known to man, really…" She shakes her head again. "People are going to start to get suspicious. I think we're going to have to tell everyone soon."

"Yeah, I know." Dan nods, reaching to tuck a piece of hair behind her year. "I've been thinking about the same thing."

"I've been trying to figure out the best way to do it but I just don't know." Blair takes another bite of the cracker in front of her. "Mostly, I don't know what to do about my parents. I don't want to tell them something like this over the phone, but I don't know the next time they're all going to be in New York."

"Well considering they're on the other side of the ocean, Blair, telling them over the phone is really OK." Dan offers and Blair just frowns. "Or not…"

"No, no, I understand that I just… I don't know…" Blair shrugs before sighing. "I'm not even making sense. Stupid hormones!" Blair lets out another frustrated groan, dropping her head to the counter.

"Your mom and Cyrus are coming for July 4th, right? That's only a few weeks away. Why don't you ask your dad and Ramon to come as well? Tell them you want to spend the holiday with your whole family." Dan pauses as Blair slowly lifts her head to look at him. "You know that they'd come if you asked them to. We'll be out in the Hamptons. Everyone will be there. We'll tell them all together." Dan offers, watching Blair closely.

"That's a wonderful idea, Dan." Blair smiles leaning forward to kiss him gently. "Thank you for being so great to …" Blair's eyes widen as she looks at him "Oh God!" She slaps her hand over her mouth and bolts toward the bathroom.

**XOXOXOX**

B, what is the matter with you?" Serena glances at her best friend a few weeks later as their laying by the pool at her grandmother's house in the Hamptons and looks like she's about to vibrate off the lounge chair next to her.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just excited for my parents to get here." Blair throws a quick smile at Serena before sliding her sunglasses on and glancing toward the house.

"Since when?" Serena looks at her more than a little sceptically when suddenly her eyes light up with realization and Blair cringes internally. Sure, when it's something like this suddenly Serena's Miss Intuitive! "Blair, why are you so excited about your parents getting here?" Serena sits up, swinging her legs over the side of the chair to lean closer to her friend. "Blair Corneila Waldorf, don't you lie to me! Does this means what I think it means?"

Blair stares at Serena for a second through her sunglasses before slowly taking them off. Try as she might she can't stop the smile from spreading across her face as she glances at Serena and gives her a little nod.

"Oh My God!" Serena practically tackles Blair as she hugs the brunette and all Blair can do is laugh as she hugs her back.

"OK, can you keep it down a little please." Blair says with a smile when they separate. "No one else knows yet. We're going to tell everyone this weekend, as soon as my parents get here."

"Sorry." Serena makes a face, glancing around. "Oh B! I still can't really believe this is happening. You and Dan are having a baby…" She lowers her voice, leaning in conspiratorially and glancing around again and Blair can't stop herself from smiling again.

"Hey, what are you two whispering about?" The two girls look up to find Dan and Nate standing over them and before Blair can stop her, Serena is leaping from the chair and throwing her arms around Dan.

"Congratulations! I am so happy for you!" Serena squeals a little before pulling away and Blair just shakes her head with a chuckle. So much for keeping it quiet.

"Ah… I take it Blair told you." Dan glances quickly at Blair, who's examining her nails intensely, before looking back at Serena. "Thank you, Serena, that means a lot - especially from you." Dan smiles before moving to sit next to Blair, shooting an amused expression in her direction. "I thought we were going to tell everyone together?"

"I didn't tell her! She guessed!" Blair's eyes shoot up to his. "Plus, she's my best friend - she doesn't fall into the category of 'everyone'. Besides, she already knew… sort of."

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Nate's voice cuts through Dan and Blair's little 'argument' and everyone turns to finds Nate staring at them looking more than a little confused. "Seriously, someone needs to tell me what is going on right now. Why is Serena congratulating you? And what exactly do you plan on telling everyone?" Nate suddenly freezes, his eyes darting from Dan to Blair and back again. "Holy Crap, did you propose? Are you two engaged?"

Dan and Blair are quiet for a second as they look at Nate and then glance at each other and Blair nods.

"Ugh, no, I didn't propose, Nate…" Dan begins slowly. "Blair's pregnant."

Everyone is quiet for a long moment as Nate stares at them and Blair swears that she can actually see his mind working trying to process what Dan just said.

"Are you serious?" He looks between the two of them and they both just nod. "Wow…" Nate stares at them for another second. "So, I take it that you're happy about this? This is a good thing?"

"Yeah" Dan nods, glancing at Blair again with a smile. "It's a great thing."

"OK then." Nate nods, a smile finally spreading across his face. "Well, if you guys are happy about this, so am I. Congratulations." Nate shakes Dan's hand and the two share a man hug before he turns to Blair, his expression softening as he pulls her into a warm hug. "I'm really happy for you, Blair." Nate says quietly when they separate.

"Thank you, Nate." Blair feels tears sting her eyes and she quickly looks away. "Sorry, it's these god forsaken hormones…"

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

"Blair Bear!"

"Daddy!" Blair can't stop herself from all but running into her father's arms. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, sweetheart." Her father hugs her tightly. "But, there's something different about you." Harold Waldorf holds his only daughter as arms lengths to look at her. "I can't quite put my finger on it." He studies her face again. "Oh, wait, I know what it is now. I think that's love I see my baby girl's eyes." Harold glances toward Dan, who's standing a few feet away with Nate and Serena. "And there's the reason for that look. Dan, nice to see you again."

"Mr. Waldorf, it's always a pleasure." Dan steps forward to shake Blair's father's hand. "How was your flight?"

"Don't get me started."

"Oh, stop complaining, Harold. The flight wasn't that bad." Eleanor appears next to them almost out of no where. "Hello darling." Eleanor kisses Blair's cheeks before turning to Dan. "Daniel, lovely to see you." Dan smiles at both of Blair's parents but his stomach is in knots. Somehow he doubted that Harold and Eleanor would be too happy to see him when they find out they he impregnated their only daughter.

"Hello! Hello!" Cyrus Rose comes through the front door, a huge smile on his face and Blair's face immediately breaks out into another grin.

"Cyrus!" Blair hugs her step-father tightly.

"Not enough!" Cyrus shakes his head, pulling Blair back in for another hug and she can only laugh.

"Daddy, is Ramon here?" Blair turns to her father and Harold frowns for a second, shaking his head.

"No, something came up at the last minute but he insisted that I come spend the 4th of July with my beautiful daughter." Harold wraps an arm around her shoulder. "Are you happy, sweetheart? You look happy."

"I am, Daddy." Blair smiles genuinely. "I'm happier than I have ever been in my life and a really big part of that is because of Dan. Actually, um, there's something I want to tell you…"

"Eleanor! Cyrus! Harold!" Blair is cut off by Lily entering the room, followed closely by Rufus and Eric. "It is so lovely to see you. I was thrilled when Blair said that you would be joining us."

"Hold that thought, honey." Her father kisses her forehead quickly. "Let me go talk to Lily and Rufus. I don't want anything to interrupt us when we finally sit down to catch up."

"OK." Blair nods with a smile as her dad makes his way across the room.

"Hey, how are you feeling? Are you OK?" Dan's arm slides around her waist and Blair nods as she leans against him easily.

"Yeah. I feel fine. " Blair glances up at Dan for a second. "So, when do you think we should do this? Before or after dinner?"

"Well, if we tell them before dinner, there probably won't _be _a dinner." Dan says with a smile and Blair chuckles silently. He wasn't wrong about that.

"But, if we wait to tell them, there's a very good chance I'll pull a Linda Blair from the Exorcist the second the food shows up, which will probably let the cat out of the bag." Blair looks up at him.

"OK, how about this." Dan tightens his arm around her waist. "How about we don't tell them at all and then just send them a card that says "Congratulations you're grandparents".

"Dan, I don't think that's going to fly." Nate and Serena appear next to them. "I mean, Rufus is pretty chill but I don't think he's that chill."

"Did I ask your opinion, Archibald?" Dan sends him a mock glare and Nate and Serena laugh. "You wouldn't exactly be chomping at the bit to tell the Captain if you got a girl pregnant."

"Hey" Blair glares at him, crossing her arms over her chest in a huff.

"Blair, I didn't mean it like that." Dan grabs her hand. "I am so happy about this, you know that. The only things in this world that matter to me now are you and this baby…"

"Baby!" Eleanor's voice cuts Dan off and the four them turn to find Blair's mother staring at them in complete and utter shock. "Blair, are you pregnant?"

Blair's mom's voice practically echoes through the room and everyone else stops to stare at them.

"What's going on here?" Rufus approaches.

"Your son has apparently impregnated my daughter!" Eleanor shrieks a little.

"Mom!" Blair gasps, staring at her mother in complete shock, and Dan cringes. Well, this was certainly not going to plan at all.

"Everyone quiet!" Harold's voice cuts through everyone else and they all turn to look a him. "Now, Blair, Dan, would you please tell us what exactly is going on?"

"OK." Dan nods slowly, glancing around the room before reaching for Blair's hand and squeezing it gently. "This isn't the way that Blair and I wanted to tell you all, but it's out in the open now, so yes it's true. Blair is pregnant. We're having a baby."

The room is quiet for a moment and Blair bites her lip nervously as she looks up at Dan. She _really_ wishes that someone would say something.

"Dan, how could you be so irresponsible?" Rufus is the first one to speak and it's Blair's turn to cringe. "Did you learn nothing from that whole disaster with Georgina?"

Blair's not surprised by Rufus' reaction but that doesn't mean it doesn't sting that Dan's father just compared her to Georgina Sparks. Dan feels Blair stiffen a little next to him and he tightens his hand around hers.

"Are you somehow implying that this is Blair's fault?" Eleanor turns to face Rufus, clearly geared up for a fight. "I will have you know that before my daughter got involved with your son…"

"STOP!" Dan finally looses his temper and Blair looks up at him, slightly impressed. "Look, arguing with each other isn't going to solve anything or help this situation in any way." He looks over at Blair with a small smile. "We know that you probably think we're making a huge mistake but Blair and I have made up our minds. We're having this baby and we're happy and we hope that you can be happy for us."

"Blair Bear…" Harold Waldorf steps forward to look down at Blair for a long moment, with worried eyes. "Are you sure about this? I mean, a baby? You're still a baby yourself."

"I'm sure." Tears fill Blair's eyes and she blinks them away. "I'm not a little girl anymore and I did think about not having this baby but…" Blair looks down at her hands for a second before looking back at her father. "I just couldn't do it." She glances at Dan, her eyes lingering on him for a second. "I love Dan, and he loves me and we both want this. We're having this baby, daddy and I want my child to know his or her Grandpa Waldorf."

"Grandpa…" Her father's voice is low. "Good Lord, I'm going to be a grandpa."

"Oh you are completely useless!" Eleanor shrieks again (in a very Blair-like way Dan notices this time) as she pushes her ex-husband out of the way and looks down at her daughter in desperation. "Blair, you have to think about your future." She glances at Dan. "Neither of you are ready for this responsibility. You're making a mistake." She shakes her head. "And I can't be a party to it." Eleanor gives them both pained looked before turning to leave the room.

"Eleanor…" Harold calls after her but Blair's mother just shakes her head again, disappearing into the hall.

"How could she just…" Tears fill Blair's eyes as she buries her face in Dan's chest. How could her mother just walk away from her like that.

"Blair…" Cyrus' gentle voice causes Blair to lift her head slowly and turn to look at him. "It's going to be OK. I'll talk to your mother." Blair gives her stepfather a watery smile. "And for what it's worth, Blair, I think you're going to be make a wonderful mother." Cyrus hugs her tightly and Blair can't help but smile through her tears. "Don't you worry, she'll come around." Cyrus starts to pull away but Blair tightens her hold on him.

"Not enough." Blair smiles a little and she hears Cyrus chuckle lightly in her ear. "Thank you Cyrus." She whispers when they finally separate and the shorter man nods with a smile before heading out the room to find his wife.

"OK. Nate, Serena Eric. Could the three of you excuse us for a moment so we can speak with Dan and Blair." Lily says quietly and the three young people glance at Dan and Blair for a second before nodding and heading out the room.

The room is completely silent for a second as Rufus, Lily, Harold Dan and Blair all stare at each other.

"Dan, Blair, I don't particularly want to take Eleanor's side on this, but she does make a valid point. Have the two of you really thought this through?" Rufus speaks slowly and the whole room turns to look at him.

"Dad…" Dan begin but stops when Blair reaches for his hand and he looks down at her.

"I apologize in advance if this comes off as rude, Rufus, please understand that is not my intention. But, you had Dan young, didn't you?" Blair asks, completely serious and Rufus looked at her for a moment before nodding.

"Yes, I did. So I know what a struggle it can be." Dan's father watches her for a second. "I don't want my son to have to go through that… or you for that matter." Rufus looks down at her for a long moment. "Blair, you and I haven't always seen eye to eye but I have watched you grow from a spoiled little girl to a compassionate, caring young woman who makes my son incredibly happy. The both of you have such bright futures ahead of you and you can't do that with a baby. Believe me."

"We know that this isn't going to be easy. But this is our child." Blair blinks back tears and her hand automatically rests on her stomach, the way it had quite often over the last few weeks. "What would you have said if someone had told you not to have Dan or Jenny?" Her gaze slides to Lily quickly. "Lily, would you have listened if CeCe had tried to convince you to not have Serena or Eric?" Blair's eyes finally turn to her daddy, tears swimming in her eyes. "What if mom had decided not to have me?" Blair glances at Dan, who smiles reassuringly as he squeezes her hand

"Blair and I are going to have this baby and we really, really hope that you can be happy for us." Dan's voice is quiet but sure and there's a look of resolution on his face that his father knows well.

"Blair Bear." Harold is the first one to speak. "You know that you always have my support." Blair breathes a sigh of relief when her father wraps her a warm embrace for a moment before turning to hold his hand out to Dan. "You are my grandchild's father, that makes you family, Dan, so welcome to the Waldorf clan."

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate that." Dan shakes Harold Waldorf's hand quickly. Blair is watching the two of them, a smile on her face but the smile quickly vanishes when she turns to look at Lily and Rufus.

"Lily?" Blair sounds like a little girl as she looks up at Dan's stepmother, her best friend's mom. "Considering my mom's reaction…" She blinks back tears again and Lily watches her for a second before moving across the room to hug the younger woman tightly.

"Shh, Blair. It's going to be OK. Your mom will come around, I promise." Lily pulls away to look at her, gently brushing the hair from her face. "Rufus was right, you have grown into such an amazing woman." She glances at Dan. "You two are going to have to work really hard at this, and it's going to be a struggle, but I think is baby is lucky to have parents like the two of you. And you know that I will do anything that I can to help you. Your father and I both will, right Rufus?" Lily turns to look at her husband expectantly and Rufus watches the three of them for a second before sighing and nodding slightly.

"Yes, of course." Rufus slowly made his way across the room. "I might not agree with this, but you know that I will always be here, Dan." Rufus hugged his son before turning to look down at Blair. "And I'm sorry for comparing you to Georgina, Blair. That wasn't fair. You are nothing like that."

"Oh, that's OK. I did the same thing myself when I first found out." Blair says nervously but relaxes when Rufus chuckles.

"What are we all laughing about?" The group turns to find Eleanor and Cyrus standing just inside the door. Cyrus gives his wife a look and she sighs a little before approaching the group and Blair felt her stomach drop.

She didn't want to be fighting with her mother. That was the absolute last thing that she wanted right now. She wanted to be able share all of this with her mother, but she also knew how stubborn Eleanor Waldorf-Rose could be (where did people think Blair had gotten it?).

"Mom…" Blair began slowly but Eleanor shook her head, wrapping her arms around her daughter tightly.

"I am sorry for the way that reacted, darling." Eleanor pulled away to look down at her with tears in her eyes. "I just know that you are meant to do amazing things in this world." She glances at Dan. "The both of you are meant for great things. But I'm also sure that the two of you will make wonderful parents."

"Thank you mom." Blair says quietly, glancing toward Dan. "I know that you think that we're too young but the fact that you're trying... that means alot to both of us." There's a moment of silence before Lily ushers everyone outside for cocktails before supper. Soon Dan and Blair are the last ones left in the room.

"Well that went over better than I was expecting." Dan says when they're alone and Blair nods as she leans against him, smiling as his arms wrap around her.

"I wouldn't get used to this, Humphrey." Blair looks up at him with a smirk on her face. "This is going to look like walk in the park compared to what's to come. We still have to tell Dorota."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N - Hey guys, here's the next chapter. I think it turned out OK. I hope you like it. Please review!**

**Disclaimer - as always I own nothing :)**

"Humphrey, stop fidgeting." Blair throws a look in Dan's direction, slapping his shoulder as they approach Dorota's apartment. She pauses for a second at the look on his face, grabbing his arm and forcing him to look at her. "Dan, are you OK? You kind of look like you're about to throw up."

"Well, that's probably because I kind of feel like I'm about to throw up." Dan looks at her with a slight look of alarm. "This is your fault, Blair. I was fine until you started in with that 'we still have to tell Dorota' crap! I've been having nightmares of her killing me and getting rid of the body!"

"You're so melodramatic." Blair rolls her eyes. "Dorota's not apart of the mob, Dan. She's not going to put a hit out on you…" Blair trails off for a second, biting her lip nervously. "But, you know, maybe stay behind me, just in case." She gives him a smile that is less than reassuring before patting his shoulder and turning away. Well, that's just great. Thanks a lot, Waldorf, that really made him feel a lot better.

"Blair…" Dan starts but stops when she reaches up to knock on the door in front of her. Dan finds himself subconsciously moving closer to Blair when the door opens.

"Miss Blair!" Dorota's face lights up at the sight of her charge and Dan finds himself smiling as well when Blair's face morphs into a soft smile of her own. "And… Mr. Dan?" Dorota notices him for the first time and she glances back at Blair. "What brings you all the way down here? Is everything OK?"

"Yes, of course. Everything is fine. Dan and I just wanted to stop in and see how you and Vanya and the baby were doing." Blair says smoothly as they step inside and Dorota closes the door, looking at the two of them closely, and Dan grimaced internally. The jig was so up. Dorota could read Blair like a book and there was no way that she believed that line for a second.

"What is wrong? Who is dying?" Dorota asks immediately and Dan almost laughs because of course someone would have to be dying for Blair Waldorf to step foot in Queens (never mind the fact that she had practically been living in Brooklyn these days).

"No, no there's nothing wrong Dorota. No one is dying, I promise." Dan says immediately and Dorota sighs in relief. "But there is something that we wanted to talk to you about." Dan says slowly. Sweet Jesus, he was a mess. His mouth is dry and his hands are sweating but that's probably because he half expects Dorota to hang him out the window by one leg once she finds out he got Blair pregnant.

"Yes, and it was something that couldn't wait until you got back to work." Blair says slightly cryptically as she looks at Dan expectantly and she can see it in his eyes - the silent plea not to make him do this. He was more scared of telling Dorota then he was of telling her parents. Granted, she couldn't really blame him for that one because Dorota could be incredibly intimidating; way more than Eleanor or Harold, that was for sure.

"One of you need to tell me what is going on right because I am starting to imagine very bad situations!" Dorota interrupts their little staring contest and Blair looks at the older woman for a moment.

"I'm pregnant, Dorota. Dan and I are having a baby." Blair says, reaching for Dan's hand with a smile and Dorota stares at the couple, completely silent.

"A baby?" Dorota continues to stare at them. "This must be joke? You are 'Punking' me, yes? Where is Ashton Kutcher?" Dorota glances around as if she honestly expects Ashton Kutcher to pop out from around the corner at any second.

"No, you're not being Punked." Dan shakes his head. "Blair and I are going to be parents."

The room was silent for a long moment as Dorota stared at the two of them and all Dan could do was hope that Dorota would be supportive of this. Dan knew how important Dorota's opinion was to Blair, whether she would admit it or not.

"You got Miss Blair pregnant?" Dorota's gaze lands on Dan and she stares at him hard, unblinking and Dan actually gulps in slight fear.

"Dorota, please don't be mad. It's OK." Blair steps in between the two of them and Dan audibly sighs in relief. He doesn't exactly feel like a man right now, hiding behind his pregnant girlfriend, but hey, you know what, staying alive to actually see this baby being born is way higher on his list of priorities then his pride at the moment.

"OK? No, this is most definitely not OK…" Dorota's angry eyes land on Dan again. "I always knew you would end up being trouble Dan Humphrey. Miss Blair is good girl and you…"

"Dorota, stop." Blair reaches for her hand. "Do you remember what you told me at your wedding? You told me that all you wanted was for me to be happy." Blair glances at Dan, who is still keeping a slight distance from Dorota - not that Blair really blames him because her polish maid is still throwing dirty looks in his direction even as Blair speaks. "Well, I finally listened to you, Dorota, because I'm happy. Dan makes me happy. This baby makes me happy."

Dorota is quiet for a long time as she looks at Blair before slowly looking up at Dan for a second.

"I_ have_ seen change in you since you have been with Lonely Boy." Dorota looks back at Blair, her expression guarded, and Dan makes a face, but chooses not to make a comment about the 'Lonely Boy' crack. Right now he's just relieved that Dorota hasn't strung him up and Blair seems to be making some progress with her.

"More than almost anyone else in my life, I need _you _to be happy for me, Dorota. I need you to be supportive. You've been there for me my whole life and I can't imagine you not being there for this." Blair takes a breath as she stares at the woman who had for all intents and purposes raised her. "I'm not sure that I can do this without you, Dorota."

"Oh Miss Blair…" Dorota shakes her head as tears fill her eyes. "Of course I will be there, you must know that." Dorota wraps her arms around Blair, hugging her tightly. "And I never want to hear doubt that you will be good mother. I watch you with Anastasia. She loves you and your child will love you even more. This baby is lucky little boy or girl to have you." Dorota reaches out to tuck a piece of hair behind Blair's ear before hugging her one more time. "If you are happy Miss Blair, then I am happy."

Dorota reluctantly pulls away from Blair and turns to look at Dan, who still looks a bit terrified. The two have a silent staring contest for a few moments before Dorota slowly crosses the room to stand in front of him.

"It is your responsibility to take care of her now." Dorota says seriously and Dan nods silently. "Especially with baby on the way. Miss Blair can be… uncooperative when it comes to doing things that she does not like but even if she resist, you must still insist." Dan nods silently. "Come, we must plan daily menu for Miss Blair and baby. We must make sure that they get everything they need to be healthy." Dorota takes Dan by the arm and pulls him toward the kitchen. Dan allows himself to be dragged from the room, throwing a glance in Blair's direction as he disappears around the corner and all Blair can do is shake her head with an amused smile as she follows after them.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

"Lily, what are you doing here?" Blair holds open the door to the loft as Dan's stepmother steps in and looks around.

"Is Daniel home?" Lily looks at her slowly and Blair frowns at the look on the older woman's face.

"No." Blair shakes her head slowly as she closes the door, concern starting to swirl in her stomach. "He's at NYU registering for classes."

"That's good." Lily smiles but it looks… well, off is the only word that comes to Blair's mind. "I was hoping to speak with you alone."

Blair can tell almost instantly from the look on Lily's face that something was wrong. It couldn't be Rufus or Serena or Eric because Lily wouldn't have come all the way to Brooklyn if either of them had had some sort of accident. Blair felt the blood drain from her face. That only left…

"Charles called me yesterday, Blair." Lily says slowly, almost reluctantly. "He's flying in from London next week for a few days on business."

"Oh…" Blair says, slowly moving to sit down at the counter and Lily sits down next to her.

Blair was certain that her relationship with Dan had been, at the very least, part of the reason that Chuck had moved to the other side of the world and she couldn't help but feel more than a little guilty for causing him to be so far away from the only family that he had left. But if she was being honest, a big part of her had also been relieved when Nate told her that Chuck was leaving. She had been relieved that she, Dan and Chuck wouldn't continuously be forced together for one reason or another, which was practically inevitable considering they ran in the same circles and that Dan and Chuck were essentially step-brothers.

As awful as it sounds (and Blair knows that it sounds awful), once Chuck left it kind of felt like the last cloud had finally been lifted off of her and Dan. She was by no means saying that Chuck was the sole cause of any problems that she and Dan had. No, those problems had been because of their own issues, but he had certainly been a catalyst, there was no denying that. It seemed almost ironic that now, just when she and Dan were finally on solid footing and were moving on with their lives, Chuck was coming back.

"Um, did you tell him about the baby?" Blair finally asks and Lily shakes her head.

"No. I didn't think it was my place." Lily reaches over and rests her hand on Blair's. "Blair, sweetheart, I can't even begin to understand how complicated the situation is between you, Daniel and Charles and I don't know what happened between the three of you before he left but clearly it was big enough that Charles felt the need to move to another country." Lily paused for a brief moment, her expression softening. "I see how happy you and Dan make each other, but there was a time when that was you and Charles and, if the situations were reversed, if _he _was the one who had moved on, wouldn't it have been better to hear it directly from him then from someone else?"

Blair is quiet for a long time as she looks at Serena's mother. She remembers all too well standing in that closet with Dan on Valentines Day, watching Chuck pour his heart out to Raina. She remembers the pain that she had felt in that moment all to well. Would that have hurt any less had Chuck been honest with her about his true feelings for Raina? Probably not, but at least she wouldn't have been so blindsided and utterly humiliated.

"Charles is supposed to call me in a few days with his travel itinerary." Lily's voice brings Blair out of her thoughts. "I can tell him if you'd like, but I just wanted to give you the opportunity to tell him yourself if that's what you wanted to do…"

"Um, right…" Blair nods slowly. "I appreciate you stopping by, Lily and I understand where you're coming from but I need to talk to Dan. His relationship with Chuck… the two of them tolerate each other at best. I just have to see how he feels about this first."

**XOXOXOXO**

"Blair…" Dan arrives back at the loft later that afternoon to find the living room empty but Blair's bag and coat draped across the couch. Making his way toward the bedroom he opened the door and smiled when he saw Blair curled up in their bed, sound asleep. Their bed? Dan freezes when he realized the slip that his mind just made and he can't help but smile. The truth was he had stopped thinking of everything as 'his' a long time ago. He had long since stopped thinking of this room as his bedroom, this was their bedroom to him.

Dan moves slowly into the room and gently sits down on the bed, careful not to wake his sleeping girlfriend. He watches her for a moment before reaching out to brush the hair out her face.

"Blair…" He whispers, unable to resist the urge to lean down and brush his lips over her.

"Mmmm…" Blair sighs against his lips, her eyes still closed. "Hi…" Her eyes open and Dan smiles down at her.

"Hi." He leans down to kiss her again before stretching out next to her, wrapping his arms around her waist, his hands automatically coming to a rest on her still flat stomach. "How come you're sleeping? Are you feeling OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired." Blair settles back against him. "How was registration? Did you get all of the classes that you wanted?"

"Yeah." Dan nods, pressing a kiss onto her neck. "When's registration for you, again?"

"Next week." Blair rests her hand on top of Dan's, entwining their fingers. "I should probably take a look at your schedule for second semester. I'd like to try and coordinate mine so that one of us can be with the baby most of the time."

"That's a good idea." Dan nods with a smile, filled with a sense of pride and love that she was already considering how their lives would need to be adjusted once the baby came. "Speaking of which, there's something that I wanted to talk to you about." Dan pulls away from her to sit up on the bed, resting his back against the headboard and Blair follows suite.

"Um, actually, I needed to talk to you too." She looks down at her hands for a second before looking back at him. "But you go first."

"OK." Dan nods, shifting slightly so he's facing her fully. "Blair, I've been thinking…" He begins slowly, taking her hands and holding them tightly in his. "I'm committed to this relationship and I know that you are too. We're having a baby together and I want us to be a real family…" Dan pauses for a second and Blair feels her heart start to pound in her chest.

"Oh My God, Dan, are you proposing to me?" Blair covers her mouth with both hands in shock as she stares at him with wide eyes.

"What?" Dan's eyes widen as well and the two of them just stare at each other. "Um, actually no…"

"Oh…" Blair drops her hands from her face and looks away slightly embarrassed.

"I did think about proposing to you, Blair, but I didn't want that to be something that we did just because we're having a baby and I didn't think that you would want me to propose for that reason either." Dan lifts her chin gently and forces her to look at him. "I am so unbelievably in love with you, Blair Waldorf, and when I propose to you, it'll be because we're both ready to make that vow and not for any other reason."

Blair is quiet for a moment as she looks at him, his choice of words not lost on her. She can't stop the tears from filling her eyes as she leans over to press her mouth against his.

"I love you." She murmurs before pulling away to look at him. "OK, I'm sorry for going a little crazy there. You just kind of threw me for a second. What were you saying?"

"Well, this is going to seem a lot less epic now…" Dan makes a face and Blair laughs a little. "But, I want you to move in with me. You practically live here anyway but I want it to be official. I want us to actually start building our life together, making a home for this baby… and this suddenly seems incredibly lame." Dan shakes his head with an embarrassed laugh, running his fingers through his hair.

"It's not lame, Humphrey." Blair says quietly, scooting closer to him on the bed. "I want us to make a home together here too."

"You're not going to try and convince me to move into the penthouse?" Dan eyes her and Blair just shakes her head with a laugh.

"Serena's at the penthouse. I couldn't very well kick her out and how awkward would it be with the three of us living there and then a baby on top of that?" Blair shakes her head. "Plus, you're right. I do practically live here. More of my belongings are here then at the penthouse… besides this our home. It's our Brooklyn bubble." Blair says with a shrug and a smile.

"So, you're officially moving in?" Dan looks at her expectantly, a grin spreading across his face.

"I am officially moving in." Blair grins back at him and wraps her arms around him tightly when he pulls her close and kisses her sweetly. She can feel a pool of desire starting to swirl low in her belly and she deepens the kiss to the point where they are both gasping for air when they finally separate.

"Blair…" Dan's breath is hot on her skin as he buries his face in her neck and Blair shudders against him. His mouth finds hers again and she kisses him feverishly, her hormones completely out of control and her sudden overwhelming desire to be with him fuelling her every move. His hands brush across her skin every so lightly as he slowly reaches around to unzip her skirt and Blair's whole body feels like it's on fire.

"I love you. I love you more than I ever thought was possible." Blair's voice is barely a whisper as she plants tiny kisses all over his face. The words are barely out of my Blair's mouth and Dan's lips are on hers mine again. Blair's hands run down his sides, pushing his shirt up, her nails digging into his back, causing Dan to grunt into her mouth and grind his center into hers. "Dan… please…." Blair practically begs and it comes out almost like a sob against his mouth. His control seems to crack and in one fluid motion, Dan rolls the two of them so Blair is beneath him on the bed and, for a brief second, she has a flashback of their first time together - how far they had come since then.

"Blair… is… " Dan's breathing is shallow as he rests his head against Blair's shoulder, trying to gain some control of his senses. "Is this OK? I mean, is it OK for you to do this? It's not going to hurt the baby or anything, right?"

Blair is completely silent as she looks at him and Dan suddenly feels a little stupid for even asking the question. Logically, he knows that it's perfectly fine and all of those pregnancy books he's been reading say that it's fine but he's still a little nervous about it. He half expects Blair to laugh at him instead she smiles and leans forward to kiss him softly.

"I love you for you worrying about us." They both smile at her use of the word 'us'. "We're not going to hurt the baby, I promise."

Without another word Dan's mouth crashes against Blair's again. Everything else is almost a blur of kisses, caresses, gasps, moans and outright screams and it's not until afterward, when Blair is wrapped up in Dan's arms, once again listening to the calming beat of his heart, that she remembers Lily's visit that afternoon. She needs to talk to Dan about that but now just doesn't seem like the appropriate time. Of course, if she's being honest, would there ever be an appropriate time?

Dan glances down at the tiny brunette curled up in his arms and frowns. He knows her well enough now to immediately notice the shift in her mood.

"Hey, what's going on inside that head of yours?" He looks down at her expectantly, a small smile playing on his lips.

"You can read me too well, Humphrey, you know that?" Blair looks up at him, shaking her head.

"Yup. That just means that you can't lie to me." Dan brushes the hair from her face. "Come on, talk to me. What's going on?"

"OK…" Blair takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out before shifting in the bed and sitting up next to Dan, clutching the sheet around her. "First you have to promise me that you're not going to get mad." She looks at him seriously and Dan frowns. He certainly didn't like the sounds of that.

"OK, well, I can't make that sort of promise, Blair. Not until you tell me what this is about." Dan looks at her seriously.

"Lily came by to see me today." Blair says finally and Dan lets out a sigh of relief. Thank god. It was just about Lily. The way Blair was acting, Dan had been certain she was about to tell him that someone had died. "Chuck is coming back to the city next week."

Dan's momentary feeling of relief is immediately gone and he stares at Blair in silence for a long time.

"OK…." His voice is tight and try as he might, he can't keep the disdain from his voice. Dan's willing to admit that Chuck had done the right thing in the end when he finally let Blair go, but he still didn't trust the guy as far as he could throw him. "I'm not really sure why Lily felt the need to tell you. I mean, it's not like you plan on seeing him." Dan glances at his girlfriend and Blair's silence tells him that that was _exactly_ what she planned to do. "Blair…"

"Look, I won't see him if you don't want me to but I just feel I should be the one to tell him about everything that is going on - the baby and now me moving in here." Blair pauses for a second. "Lily, she made a really good point. If our roles were reversed I would want to hear this directly from Chuck, not from anyone else. Maybe if Chuck had told me that he was developing real feelings for Raina, it wouldn't have hurt as bad as it did when I found out." Blair stares up at him with pleading eyes. "My future is with you, Dan, but that doesn't change my past with Chuck. He is just as much apart of my history as Serena or Nate and I just feel like after everything that's happened, after everything that we have all been through, he should hear this from me."

"Blair, I understand what you're saying, I do…" Dan breaks off, running his fingers through his hair again. "But, I don't want you getting upset or stressed. It isn't good for you or the baby. And seeing Chuck is going to upset you. It always does." The two of them are silent as they stare at each other and all Blair can do is nod. She can't blame him for feeling that way and he's not wrong. Her relationship with Chuck had always held a certain level of volatility, even when things were going good between them, so it's understandable why he doesn't want her or their baby around that.

"OK." Blair nods and Dan looks at her sceptically, as he always did when she agreed to something that he was expecting a fight over. "I understand. I won't see him. I'll call Lily and ask her to tell Chuck the next time he calls. At the very least I want him to hear it from her and not read it on Gossip Girl." Blair leans forward to kiss him gently. "It's OK, Dan. I really do understand and I'm not going to do anything that you're uncomfortable with."

Blair settles herself back into his arms and Dan absentmindedly runs his fingers through her hair as he mind tries to process what Blair had just asked of him. He had come to accept that Chuck Bass was always going to be apart of their lives in some capacity and Dan did truly understand where Blair was coming from. He understood why she wanted to be the one to tell him because, whether Dan wanted to admit it or not, Chuck was at least partially responsible for him and Blair being together right now. Neither of them knew what would have happened that night if Chuck hadn't called him to the Palace. In that sense, Dan understood, but he didn't want to be setting a precedent with Chuck. He didn't want there to have to be a huge production of Blair informing Chuck of every single event that happens in their lives.

"I have to be there." Dan says after a long time has passed and Blair pulls away to look at him, slightly confused. "I want to be there when you tell him. I realize that there is no love loss between me and Chuck and it might make the situation a bit awkward but I don't trust him, I don't think I'll ever trust him, so that's my stipulation. I have to be there."

"I can live with that." Blair says with a smile, her expression softening as she looks down at him and she feels her heart swell with love. This right here is just one of the many reasons that she loves him - he understands that she _needs_ to do this and, even if he doesn't completely agree with it, he'll support her.

**XOXOXOXOXO**

"Blair, I have to admit I was surprised when Lily told me that you wanted to see me." Chuck steps into the foyer of her (soon-to-be ex) penthouse and all Blair can do is stare at him from her spot next to Dan at the foot of the stairs as she feels a rush of nostalgia as she remembers all of the times that she had stood in this very spot and waited for him. "Ah, Humphrey, I wasn't expecting to see you here. Although, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised." Both Dan and Blair give him a look and Chuck shrugs. "Eric has kept me up to date on the goings on back home. He may have mentioned that the two of you were still going strong. You remembered our little talk, Brooklyn. That's good." Chuck gives Dan a look and Blair stares at the both of them in confusion. Little talk? She didn't even want to know.

The three of them stand slightly awkwardly in the hall for a moment before quickly morphs into hostess mode and ushers them all into the living room.

"Can I get you anything, Chuck?" She offers as she takes a seat next to Dan on the couch and Chuck drapes his coat over the back of the chair, taking a seat. He shakes his head and glances around the room for a second before looking and focusing his attention on Blair, completely ignoring the fact that Dan is sitting next to her - a fact that makes Blair bristle slightly. She wishes that he wouldn't act like that because all it does is serve to make this whole think more uncomfortable than it already was.

"What's with the boxes? Is Serena finally moving out?" Chuck leans back, resting one foot on his knee, a slight smirk on his face.

"Um, no." Blair shakes her head, glancing at Dan, who nods encouragingly and Blair smiles, reaching for his hand. "Serena isn't moving out, Chuck, I am."

The room is completely silent for a long time. Too long for Dan's liking to be honest and he watches Chuck closely as the young billionaire processes what Blair's words actually mean.

"Wow, so Blair Waldorf is moving to Brooklyn." Chuck looks almost amused at the thought and Dan frowns, causing Blair to squeeze his hand reassuringly. "I never thought that I would see the day." Chuck shakes his head slowly. "I'm not really sure why you're telling me this. You certainly don't need my permission and if you're looking for some sort of approval, well I'm sorry but I think we all know that's not going to happen." Chuck lets out a weary sigh. "Blair, I want you to be happy. It's all I want and I am willing to accept that, right now, Humphrey is what makes you happy but I certainly don't need to be dragged over here and have it rubbed in my face. I realize that you probably thought that you were doing the generous thing, telling me yourself, but it wasn't necessary." Chuck pulls himself to his feet and reaches for his coat. "Good luck in Brooklyn, Blair." Chuck turns to leave and Blair quickly jumps to her feet with Dan close behind her.

"Chuck, that's not the only reason we wanted to see you." Blair stops him and the term 'we' isn't lost on Chuck as he turns to look at the couple. "I wanted to be the one to tell you. I didn't want you to hear it from Lily or god forbid on Gossip Girl…" Blair reaches for Dan's hand, entwining their fingers tightly and Chuck's gaze lands on their hands for a second before he looks back at Blair. "Chuck, I'm pregnant."

The room is deathly silent for a long time, too long actually in Blair's opinion and she glances at Dan for a second before looking back at Chuck, who is staring at the two of them with an unreadable expression.

"You're pregnant?" Chuck says finally, disbelief evident in his voice. "With a Humphrey spawn?"

"Listen Bass, you better learn to check that mouth of yours because if you don't I'm going to shut it for you." Dan's back is up in defence and Blair can't really blame him. It was hard to miss the disgusted tone in Chuck's voice.

"Dan, can you just give us a second?" Blair looks up at him and Dan stares at her for a second before sighing.

"Fine. I'll just be in the kitchen." He presses a kiss on her temple before shooting Chuck a look and disappearing out of the room.

"You're not actually considering having it, are you?" Chuck asks the second they're alone and Blair stiffens at his tone.

"Please do not refer to my child as 'it', Chuck." Blair snaps, crossing her arms over her chest. "I should have known that you would be act like this. God forbid, you actually do the mature thing."

"How did you expect me to react, Blair?" Chuck stares at her in disbelief. "Did you actually expect me to be happy about this? Not that long ago you told me that you and I couldn't be together because you needed to find yourself and now you're permanently attaching yourself to Humphrey by having his bastard child!"

Blair's eyes widen as she stares at Chuck and for a brief moment she wonders what had possessed her to think that this was a good idea. But, if her past with Chuck had taught her anything it was that this was what Chuck did when he was hurt - he lashed out. It was a defence mechanism that she understood all too well, because for a long time it had been her go to move as well.

"No, I didn't expect you to be happy, Chuck." Blair says finally, shaking her head. "If I'm being honest, I expected this. Regardless of what you might believe, I'm not trying to hurt you. I just didn't want you to find out from someone else because I know what that feels like."

Blair looks away for a second, taking a breath and all Chuck can do is stare at her. Even after everything, she still cared about his feelings, a fact that he couldn't really understand seeing as he rarely had ever considered hers.

"I'm sorry." Chuck says finally and Blair looks up at her, a curious expression on her face. "I'm sorry for not considering your feelings during certain decisions that I made." He dances around actually saying Raina's or Eva's names but they both know that is what he's referring to.

"Thank you." Blair nods, slowly crossing the room to stand in front of him. "Chuck, I…" She breaks off for a second as she looks up into his dark eyes and her heart contracts a little. "I don't know if you're… holding on to some sort of hope when it comes to us but I hope that's not the case. I know that sounds rather egotistical but I just… I need you to understand that Dan isn't going anywhere. He's it for me. He is the person that I want to spend my life with…" Blair blinks back tears as she looks up at him. "I have everything that I ever wanted, Chuck, and I am so incredibly happy. And that's what I want for you."

The two of them are quiet for a long time as they look at each other, their complicated history flashing through both of their minds.

"It's really over, isn't it?" Chuck's voice is low as he looks at Blair with hooded eyes.

"I don't regret a single moment that you and I shared together, the good or the bad, because being with you helped me become the person that I am and it helped me get ready for Dan…" Blair reached up to brush the tears from her face. "You're not a bad person, Chuck. You proved that when you called Dan that night at the Palace and you've proved it all of the other times that you've come through for the people that you care about. There is a heart in there." Blair lays her hand against his chest. "I've seen it, You just need to let someone in, really let them in."

"Blair…" Chuck begins but Blair shakes her head.

"I love you. I will always love you. We're Chuck and Blair, Blair and Chuck. You and I are connected in a way that I can't put into words and I will always be here for you if you need me but I'm not _that _person for you. I haven't been that person for you in a really long time, I'm not sure I ever was."

"You were that person for me, Blair, once upon a time." Chuck says after a long moment and Blair nods. "I shouldn't have called your child a bastard. That was low, I guess deep down I always believed when you finally had a child, it would be with me." Chuck pauses for a second as he reaches out to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. "I have no doubt that you will be a wonderful mother." He hesitates for a second before leaning forward to press a soft kiss on her forehead before pulling her into his arms and crushing her against him and Blair holds on to him tightly, knowing that this may be her last chance to really say goodbye to him.

"Please take care of yourself, Chuck." Blair pulls away to look at him, her expression soft but serious at the same time. "Please find someone who makes you as happy as Dan makes me - don't spend your life alone because I don't want that. I don't think that I could handle that."

"I love you Blair. I will always love you." Chuck says quietly, resting his forehead against hers for a moment. "It doesn't matter who else comes into my life, they will never mean to me what you do." Blair pulls away and looks up at him a little uncomfortably. "I might not agree with what you're doing, but if Humphrey and this baby are what you need to be happy, then I'll accept that and I'll be happy for you. Can I just ask you for one thing?" Chuck steps back to look down at her. "You may be living in Brooklyn now and you might give birth to a Humphrey in nine months, but always remember that you are Blair Waldorf and don't you ever let anyone forget it."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N - So I'm sure that I have no readers left and I am sorry for just abandoing this story but the absolute EPIC disaster that Dair ended up being on the show was enough to kill any inspiration that I had for this story. I hate that the writers took what could have been the best pairing on the show and completely destroyed them because they couldn't let go Chair. Anyway, enough of my rambling. Here is the next chapter of Uphill Battle. I have the next couple of chapters roughly planned out in my head so hopefully I'll get something on paper soon. Hopefully I sitll have some readers left and if I do, I hope you'll review. **

**As always, I own nothing. If I did, that series finale would have been very different! **

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

Blair sighed as she stared out the window at the house her town car was currently parked in front of.

She didn't even really know what she was doing here. OK, that was a lie. She knew why she was here. Her hand rested on her now very pronounced baby bump. She was here because of Dan. She was here because of how supportive he had been since the moment she had told him she thought she was pregnant. She was here because of the look of complete joy on his face the first time they heard a heartbeat and the way he couldn't resist kissing her hard when the doctor pointed out their _two_ babies on the sonogram screen. Their babies. Blair's hand ran gently over her stomach again. Their son and daughter. They were the other reason she was here. They deserved everything that she hadn't had growing up. Sure, she had had money to burn and every luxury life could offer, but Blair was secure enough in herself now to admit that she hadn't had what one would call a happy childhood and the moment the doctor confirmed that she was carrying her son and daughter, she swore that she would do whatever she had to give them the family she had always craved when she was a child.

Sighing again, Blair stepped from the car and tightened her coat around her as the cold wind whipped her hair around. She slowly made her way toward the door and she took a breath before reaching to press the door bell. She actively tried to keep her face impassive when the door swung open and she found herself face to face with none other then Jenny Humphrey.

"Blair?" Jenny face registered complete shock and Blair couldn't really blame the younger girl. Really, the last thing she must have expected was to open the door on a random Tuesday and find Blair Waldorf of all people on her front step. "What are you doing here?"

"Do you think I could come in. I'm freezing and pregnant." Blair tried to check the bitch in her, but couldn't help it, because really it feels like it's 20 degrees out and she's pregnant and Jenny Humphrey is staring at her with her jaw hanging open.

"Oh sorry." Jenny pulled the door open further and stepped aside to allow Blair in. Blair gingerly stepped over the threshold and looked around as Jenny closed the door and turned to look at her. "Blair, what's going on? What are doing here? Is it Dan? Is he OK?"

"No, he's on his deathbed." Blair rolled her eyes. "Because of course I would get in a car and drive all the way to Hudson if he was hurt. Honestly Little J…" Blair cut herself off, trying to check herself, because she didn't come here to get into with Jenny Humphrey, but the young blonde just knew how to get under her skin.

"Fine, Blair." Jenny crossed her arms over her chest with a scowl on her face. "Then why are you here?"

"Dan and I are having twins." Blair's face softened as she rested her hand on her bump.

"Oh my God!" Jenny's eyes widened. "Two?" Blair couldn't help but smile as she looked down.

"Yeah. A boy and a girl." She looked back up at Dan's sister.

"Well, Blair, you should get off your feet. Come in and sit down." Jenny motioned toward the living room but Blair shook her head.

"No, I'm not going to stay long. I just needed to talk to you and I wanted to do it in person." Blair took a breath and Jenny nodded silently, looking confused. Blair couldn't really blame her. "Look, Little J…" Jenny stiffened a little at nickname, but Blair just shrugged. She would always be Little J, that was never going to change. "Look, I know that you and I never going to be BFFs, there's just too much crap between us for that but you're Dan's sister…" She rested her hand on stomach again. "And I know that regardless of how you and I feel about each other, I know that you're going to love these kids because they're Dan's."

"Of course I'll love those kids, Blair." Jenny said earnestly, albeit still a little confusedly.

"The reason I came here is because I want to put an end to this stupid bickering." Blair said after a moment. "I want us to learn to be civil, for Dan's sake and for these babies. Dan misses you. He'd never admit it to me, but I know that he does. And while I love Serena like a sister,_ you_ are my children's aunt and they deserve a chance to know you. They deserve a chance to have a big family around them, with people who love them." Jenny opened her mouth the respond but Blair just shook her head and kept on going. "I'm not saying that I've forgotten what you did, because I haven't and I don't know that I ever will, but you and I are going to be family in about 6 weeks. I just wanted to know that you will always be welcome in our home and I will try to keep my distain to a minimum…" Blair threw that last part in and smirked a little when Jenny gave a sarcastic laugh. Both women were quiet for a long time before Blair rolled her eyes.

"You can speak now, little J." Blair barked and it was Jenny's turn to roll her eyes.

"Blair, I know that this couldn't have been easy for you." Jenny's tone turned serious. "And I know that you certainly don't care really about I think or feel, but I'm really glad that I'm going to have a chance to be a real part of my niece and nephew's lives…" Jenny trailed off and Blair shifted a little uncomfortably.

"Well, like you said I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for…" Blair inhaled at the sharp pain in her stomach. "I just, um…." She felt another cramp and then looked up at Dan's sister. "Little J, I need you to get me to the hospital. Now!"

"What, Blair, what's wrong?" Jenny rushed to her side.

"I think I'm in labour because I'm pretty sure my water just broke."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

Dan burst through the doors of the hospital, looking around widely. He needed to find Blair. He needed to find Blair now. He had no idea what the hell she had been doing in Hudson (she had told him that she was going shopping for the babies) but when Jenny had called him and said that Blair was in labour and he had to get here now, he tore out of the coffee shop he had been in. Hell, he was pretty sure that he had all but knocked an old lady over.

"Dan!" Dan looked up at the sound of his name and saw his little sister rushing towards him.

"Jenny, what is going on?" Dan hugged her quickly. "Is Blair OK? And what the hell was she doing in Hudson?"

"She's OK. She's scared and she wants you. But she's OK." Jenny squeezed his hand tightly. "And she's here because she came to bury the hatchet before the babies were born. She came because she wanted your son and daughter to know every part of their family, even the ones that she's not so thrilled about." Jenny gave him a small smile before she pointing towards the double doors down the hall. "Go. She's in room 102."

"Thanks Jenny." Dan hugged her tightly before setting off down the hall, but he stopped quickly to look back. "Dad and Lily, Serena…"

"I'll take care of it. Just go." Jenny waved him away, already reaching for her phone and Dan nodded, turning and practically bolting toward Blair's room. His beautiful brunette girlfriend looked up with a slightly scared smile when he turned the corner.

"You made it." Tears filled her eyes as she held her hand out to him and Dan crossed the room quickly, entwining their fingers and lifting her hand to kiss the back.

"Of course I made it." He leaned down to brush his lips over hers. "Do you think that I would be anywhere else. There is nothing that could have made me miss this moment." Blair smiled for a brief second before another contraction tore through her and Dan winced a little when she all but cut off the circulation in his hand.

"OK, Miss Waldorf! How are we doing?" They both looked up when the doctor came into the room, a reassuring smile on his face. "Oh I see we have company." His eyes landed on Dan. "You must be Dan. I'm Dr. James." He held his hand out and Dan shook it, the look of confusion on his face must have been obvious because the older man smiled again, glancing at Blair. "Blair informed us from the second that we admitted her that under no circumstances were these babies allowed to be born until you arrived. Your wife is a very determined woman, so I'm not surprised that she got her way." The doctor smiled again before moving to the end of the bed and lifting the sheet to begin his examination. Dan turned back to Blair and made a point of ignoring the pointed look she was giving him. He knew what that was about. So he hadn't corrected the doctor that technically Blair wasn't his wife. He was committed to her. She was committed to him. Maybe they didn't have a piece of paper, but they were together. A family. That was all that some random doctor from Hudson needed to know.

"You're wife, huh?" Blair murmured under her breath so that only Dan could hear as he moved next to her again and he shook his head as he looked down at her. "You know… Ahhhh!" Blair let out an ear shattering scream as another contraction overtook her and she all but broke Dan's hand this time.

"OK, Blair, you're fully dilated." Dr. James looked up at the two of them. "It's time to push."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

"Oh my God. I can't believe how tiny they. How perfect." Blair gazed down at the tiny bundle in her arms, swaddled in pink, before looking over to where Dan was cradling their son, with a matching look of awe splashed across his face.

"Thank you." Dan finally pulled his eyes from his son and slowly looked up at her, tears shining in his eyes and Blair felt her heart swell. "Thank you for giving me these two beautiful children." Dan moved gingerly, his eyes locked on his son, and he slowly sat down next to her on the narrow bed. "I love you."

"I love you too." Blair rested her head against Dan's shoulder as she looked between her two children. Her children. It almost didn't seem real. She was a mother. She was responsible for moulding these two perfect little people.

"You're going to be an amazing mother." Blair looked up at Dan a little surprised. Really she shouldn't have been. He knew her better than anyone ever had or ever would. Of course he could read her like a book.

"They're lucky that they have you as their father." Blair gently ran her fingers over her daughter's soft cheek.

"Jenny told me why you came here." Dan said after a moment and Blair looked away, gazing down at the little boy in Dan's arms. "Thank you for doing that. I know it couldn't have been easy for you."

"They deserve a chance to know their family… and whether I like it or not Jenny is their family." Blair said with a slight air about her and Dan shot her a look, forcing her to smile. "Look, it's like I said to her. Little J and I will never be besties, but she's your sister and you love her so I'll just have to learn to deal." Blair looked down at her babies again for a moment before looking back at Dan. "I was so lonely as a child, Dan. I mean, my parents were never really around and, yes, I had Dorota and Serena and the Van der Woodsons were always great about including me, but all I ever wanted was a real family. And I won't let my kids grow up feeling that way."

"You have a real family now, Blair." Dan leaned forward to brush his lips over hers. "This right here. The four of us. This is our family."

"I love you Dan Humphrey. Thank you for not giving up on me. On us." Blair kissed him again before smiling and gazing down at her daughter again, who was sleeping soundly, her perfect little cherub face relaxed in sleep.

"Knock, knock!" They both looked up as the door opened and Lily's head poked around it. "Can we come in?"

"Of course." Blair nodded and smiled as Lily, Rufus, Serena, Nate, Eric and Jenny all filed into the room, arms loaded down with balloons and flowers and presents.

"Oh Blair! They're so beautiful." Serena gushed as she flitted between Dan and Blair.

"Do you think that I could possibly hold my granddaughter?" Rufus stepped forward and Blair looked up at him with a smile.

"Of course." She gently handed her daughter off the her grandfather and she couldn't help but feel a pang as she watched the two of them, wishing that her own parents were here. Of course she understood. Her mother and father, along with Cyrus and Ramon had all planned on being her for the due date, but that wasn't for another six weeks. Still it was disappointing.

"By the way Blair, I spoke with your parents and they are all on the next flight. They'll be here as soon as they can." Lily spoke up and Blair looked up at the older blonde with a smile. "They said that they can not wait to meet their grandchildren."

"Thank you, Lily." Blair reached for her hand and Lily squeezed it gently.

"So, have you decided on names?" Nate asked.

"Yes, what did you guys decide?" Serena piped up. "I've been trying to get Blair to spill for weeks but she wouldn't let a single name slip."

"Well…" Blair leaned forward to rest her hand on her daughter's tiny arm, where she was snuggled securely in Rufus' arms. "This is Audrey…"

"Of course." Eric laughed a little.

"You didn't let me finish, Eric." Blair threw a small smile towards Serena's brother. "This is Audrey Serena Humphrey." Serena's eyes widened in shock as a gasp escaped her lips.

"And this is Ethan Nathaniel Humphrey." Dan said, placing a whisper of kiss on Ethan's forehead.

"What?" Nate looked stunned as Serena all but tackled Blair in the bed.

"Whoa, OK, S. Seriously, I just pushed two babies out of me. Not so rough." Blair laughed a little as she hugged her oldest friend. "There was something else." Blair pulled away and looked at the assembled group. " Seeing as you're all here. We might as well do this now." Blair turned to Serena. "S, Dan and I want you to be Audrey's godmother."

"Oh my God, Blair." Tears filled Serena's eyes as she threw her arms around Blair again before hugging Dan tightly. "Of course, I would honoured. Thank you."

"And Nate, obviously, we want you to be Ethan's godfather." Dan turned to his friend and Nate smiled, reaching out to shake Dan's hand.

"Thank you. I'm touched." Nate moved to hug Blair gently, but tightly at the same time. "I am gonna kick ass at this."

"I'm sure you are." Blair smiled at high school sweetheart and for a split second pondered how far the two of them had come together and how grateful she was that he was a part of her life. "And Eric…" Blair turned to the youngest Van der Woodson, feeling her heart tug a little. She would have blamed the hormones, but the truth was Blair had always had a special place in her heart for Serena's little brother. "We're hoping that you'll agree to be Audrey's godfather?"

"Are you serious?" Eric looked at the two of them in complete and total shock before nodding and hugging the both of them. "I don't know what to say except thank you."

"Um, and I haven't actually had a chance to discuss this with Dan yet…" Blair threw a glance in his direction. "But I'm sure you'll be on board." Dan looked at the others with a shrug and Blair took a breath. "Little J, _I _would like you be Ethan's godmother."

"Me?" Jenny looked floored and Blair noted that everyone, Dan included, was wearing similar expressions.

"I meant it, when I said that I wanted you to be a part of their lives. I meant that." Blair paused for a second before slowly looking up at Dan. "I'm sorry I didn't talk to you first. It just kind of hit me out of no where when I was looking at him."

"I think it's a great idea." Dan smiled as he leaned down to kiss her. "I wanted to suggest it myself, but I didn't want to upset you." Blair smiled a little as Dan rested his forehead against hers. "Thank you." He kissed her one last time before looking up at his little sister. "So, what do you say Jen?"

"I would absolutely love that." Jenny nodded, her eyes shifting to Blair. "Thank you."

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Blair's eyes fluttered open and she looked around the empty room groggily. She didn't remember falling asleep but clearly she had needed it. Her expression softened when her eyes landed on Dan, who was sitting in the chair next to the bed, with both Audrey and Ethan nestled securely in his both arms, whispering softly to them.

"Now I want you to know something about your mom. She can be a tyrant. There's no getting around that. And there will probably be times when you'll want to pull your hair out and demand a maternity test because you're sure that there must have been a mix up at the hospital and there's no way that she actually gave birth to you." Blair scowled a little at his words. "But she's also got the most amazing heart that I've ever known." Blair's expression softened. "And she's strong and she's fearless and she loves you so much. And we are so lucky to have her."

"Hey…" Blair whispered and Dan looked up with surprise.

"Hey, how long have you been awake?" Dan glanced down at the babies and Blair could have sworn she saw a blush creep over his cheeks.

"Just a second." Blair let the white lie roll off her tongue with a small smile. "Did everyone leave?" Dan nodded.

"Yeah, you were pretty exhausted so they took off." Dan paused for a second before nodding towards the table by the window and Blair followed his gaze to see a huge bouquet of flowers and two huge teddy bears. "Those came while you were sleeping."

"Who are they from?" Blair asked, sitting up in the bed, but the look on Dan's face gave her the answer. "Chuck."

"Well, I didn't read the card, but it looks like his hand writing and besides, who else other than Chuck Bass could have a bouquet like that delivered a mere few hours after you go into labour from half way around the world." Dan stood up and gently placed Ethan and Audrey back in their basinets. "Look, why don't I go grab a cup of coffee and let you read it." Dan moved toward the door but Blair's hand shot out to grab his.

"No. Don't go." Blair gripped his hand tightly. "We should read it together." Dan was quiet for a moment before nodding and brushing his lips over hers.

"OK." Dan moved across the room to pick up the box and moved to sit next to Blair on the bed. Gingerly, Blair opened the envelope and pulled out the card, staring down at Chuck's familiar script.

_Dear Blair and Dan_

OK, Blair wasn't going to lie. She was shocked (and proud) that Chuck had included Dan in his note. Truth was, she had expected Chuck not to acknowledge him at all (and had referred to him as Dan and not Humphrey or Brooklyn).

_I heard from Lily that the two of you are expecting twins. That is surprising, but surely happy news. But if anyone is able to handle it, it's the two of you. Congratulations to the both of you._

_I hope that someday I will have the pleasure of meeting your children._

_Chuck._

Blair looked up from the simple, yet sweet card, and saw that Dan was wearing a similar expression to her own. He smiled, brushing his lips over hers before looking down at their sleeping children.

Blair heaved a contented sigh as she snuggled comfortably into Dan's arms. This is what she had been waiting for. This is what she had spent so long searching for and somehow she had ended up finding it in Brooklyn.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N - Hey guys! I'm back! And it wasn't a year and half later! Yay! LOL. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope you like it. Thanks to all who took the time to review the last chapter after so long. I hope you'll review this one too :)****  
**

**As always, I own nothing. Enjoy**

Dan rolled over in his sleep, his arm automatically reaching for Blair and he jolted awake when he felt cotton sheets instead of her soft, comforting body next to him. His eyes opened to find her side of the bed empty. Sitting up, Dan scratched his head, yawing as he looked around the room. He climbed out of bed and let out a mumbled curse when he stubbed his toe on the bench that Blair had insisted they put in their room. It was moments like these that made him miss the familiar layout of the loft. He knew that place like the back of his hand.

That said, he understood Blair's logic and had even agreed with her that the loft, while full of wonderful memories (it was their Brooklyn Bubble after all), was probably not the most suitable place for them to raise the twins. So when she had suggested they move to the city, he had agreed. They had settled on an apartment on the Upper West Side, overlooking Central Park. He knew from the second they walked through the door that Blair was completely in love with the place and she had been so pregnant by that point that he couldn't have said no to her even if he wanted to (if normal Blair scared him on a good day, then full on hormonal pregnant Blair was enough to send him crying to his daddy).

Of course, for all his bluster, Dan could admit that he was happy in their new home. Jenny and Eric had moved into the loft and Dan was grateful for that. It was comforting to know that it was still there, the place where his and Blair's story had begun; that they would be able to bring Ethan and Audrey there. But it was right for the four of them to have their own home. He loved this home and the life they had begun to build in it. He loved waking up with the sun shining in through the huge window of their bedroom and Blair curled up at his side. He loved the still feeling that always came when he took one of the twins out to the terrace to look out over the park as he told them all about how he fell in love with their mother. He loved that Audrey always watched him closing, like she was completely enraptured with the tale of her parents' love story and how, most times, Ethan looked like he was struggling to stay awake.

He loved those rare moments when he would come home unannounced to find Blair so completely wrapped up in the twins that she wouldn't even notice that he entered the room. He loved the way her eyes sparkled as she kissed their toes and Ethan let out an almost silent laugh, his smile lighting up the room, while Audrey's had a full belly laugh that caused her whole little body to shake… both of which would cause Blair to beam.

It was in those moments that Dan Humphrey found himself falling head over heels in love with Blair Waldorf all over again. Feeling a sudden urge to be with his family, Dan quickly pulled on his robe, making his way out of the room toward where he knew he would find his girlfriend.

As he approached the nursery, Dan paused when he saw the door open a tiny crack. Blair looked up with a smile when he pushed the door fully open and Dan smiled back when he saw her rocking Ethan gently.

"Did I wake you?" Blair's voice was barely a whisper as she glanced down at Ethan, her hand running across his cheek gently, before she looked back at Dan.

"No." Dan shook his head, moving quietly into the room and pausing to peer down at Audrey, who was sleeping soundly in her crib. "I just can't sleep when you're not next to me." Dan continued into the room, pulling another chair close to Blair rocking chair before leaning in to brush his lips across hers before kissing Ethan's forehead. "You should have woken me. You got up with them last night. It was my turn."

"I know." Blair murmured, her gazed fixed on their son, nestled happily in her arms as he suckled away on his bottle. "But I don't mind. I like spending this time with them…" Blair pulled her eyes away from Ethan to look at Dan. "Plus, you looked so peaceful, I just didn't have the heart to wake you. You should go back to bed. We're fine."

"No." Dan shook his head. "I'm fine right here." Blair didn't respond but simply smiled as she continued to rock Ethan.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX0 X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0 **

Blair woke to sounds of quiet a whimper coming from the baby monitor and she rubbed her eyes tiredly as she glanced at Dan, who was sleeping next to her. She didn't blame him for not waking. Normally the slightest cry from either of the twins and Dan would be instantly alert, but she knew how tired he had been lately. _Let him sleep_. Blair smiled as she climbed out of bed and slipped out of the room, heading toward the nursery.

She pushed the door opened and felt a calm wash over her when her eyes landed on Audrey and Ethan. Blair loved this time with them. She loved the quiet and calm and complete serenity that she felt in those early morning hours as she held her children.

Pausing, Blair peered down into Audrey's crib to find her sleeping peacefully. Everyone assumed that Audrey would end up being just like Blair, but it couldn't have been any further from the truth. Audrey was the calm one of her babies, the logical one, Blair could already tell. Every day she saw more and more of Dan in her daughter. Every smile, every curious expression. Whenever Audrey became focussed on the workings of a new toy, refusing to put it down until she figured it out, it was Dan that Blair saw in her daughter's eyes.

Blair kissed Audrey's head gently before moving across the room to Ethan's crib. She found her son squirming, his little arms and legs flailing, clearly frustrated that she had taken so long to get to him. If Audrey had Dan's temperament, than Ethan was Blair through and through. He wanted what he wanted, when he wanted it and no one was going to tell him otherwise. Blair shook her head with a smile as she lifted him into her arms.

"What's mama's boy doing?" Blair murmured as she nuzzled her son close. "Can you not sleep my little boy." Blair quietly left the room with Ethan nestled into her shoulder. She made her way into the kitchen and prepared his bottle almost on autopilot. She had done this so many times now, she didn't even need to think about it. Making her back to the nursery, Blair checked to see Audrey still passed out solid, her tiny snores (yet another trait she had picked up from her father) barely audible.

"Why can't you be more like your sister, huh?" Blair murmured to her son as she settled into the rocking chair. Ethan huffed irritably at her, eyeing the bottle that was just out of his reach and Blair chuckled silently. "Oh, you're definitely my son." Blair placed a gentle kiss on Ethan's forehead as she held the bottle up and Ethan latched on, sucking hungrily.

Blair looked up as the door opened and she smiled when she saw Dan standing in the doorway, his hair sticking up in every which way possible.

"Did I wake you?" Blair whispered as she glanced down at Ethan. She brushed her hand over his cherub cheek before looking back up at Dan expectantly.

"No." Dan shook his head, moving quietly into the room. Blair smiled as he stopped to look at Audrey, her heart swelling at the love she saw in his eyes as he looked at their daughter. "I just can't sleep when you're not next to me." Dan continued into the room. He pulled a chair close to Blair rocking. She smiled again as he leaned in to kiss her softly before kissing Ethan's forehead. "You should have woken me. You got up with them last night. It was my turn."

"I know." Blair looked down at their son, nestled happily in her arms as he suckled away on his bottle. "But I don't mind. I like spending this time with them…" Blair pulled her eyes away from Ethan to look at Dan. "Plus, you looked so peaceful, I just didn't have the heart to wake you. You should go back to bed. We're fine."

"No." Dan shook his head. "I'm fine right here." Blair smiled again, continuing to rock Ethan and she rested her head on Dan's shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOOXOX OXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

"How are you son?" Rufus asked his son as they sat in his living room. Blair had insisted that they invite everyone over for Thanksgiving and so their apartment was currently full of clanging and chatter. Dan couldn't have been happier about it.

"I'm good Dad. I'm tired but I'm good." He glanced across the room where Nate and Serena were entertaining the twins. "I'm going to duck into the kitchen and see if Blair needs any help." Dan excused himself and made his way toward the kitchen. He paused briefly in the dining room to speak with Eric and Lily, who were setting the table, before continuing down the hall. He slowed down when he heard voices coming from the kitchen and stopped when he turned the corner to find Blair standing at the counter, talking animatedly to his sister, laughter bubbling from her lips. If he didn't know better, he would say that they looked like friends.

The sight brought a smile to his face. Blair and Jenny had a rocky past. He knew first hand how rocky but still it made him happy to see the woman he loved finally getting along with his sister. As he watched Blair converse with his sister, he was struck again at how much she had changed from the girl he had known in high school. That girl knew how to hold a grudge. That girl would make you regret the day that you ever decided to cross her. And while, in some ways, Blair was still that girl, he had seen her grow too and become the woman who was standing in front of him now.

This was the woman he loved. The one who slowly had begun to let go of past wrongs. Yes, he knew that she hadn't completely forgotten what Jenny had done, but he could also tell that she had developed a soft spot for his little sister since the twins had been born, even if she would never admit it. Her tone when speaking to or about Jenny no longer held that sharpness to it and she seemed almost genuinely pleased when Jenny would come over to visit with the twins. Even the way Blair addressed his sister had changed. Sure, Blair still called her Little J, but it no longer came across as the put down that it had always seemed to be. Once it had been Blair's way of keeping Jenny in her place; showing her that she was beneath the rest of them. Now, it rolled off Blair's tongue with a smile and had a friendly teasing ring to it, in a similar fashion to the way she called him 'Humphrey'.

Dan had always known that Blair was the woman he was going to spend his life with, but standing in the kitchen that day, watching the final two pieces of his family come together, he knew that he wanted to make if official sooner rather than later.

"Dan, did you need something?" The sound of Blair's voice pulled him out his thought and he looked up at the two women in front of him.

"Just wondering if you needed any help." Dan moved towards them, his arm looping around Blair's waist as he dropped a kiss on her neck.

"Oh, thanks, but I think Little J and I have everything covered." Blair smiled and Jenny nodded in agreement. "But if you want to ask everyone to make their way to the dining room, we should be ready soon."

Dan nodded and left the room as Blair and Jenny continued their preparations, their conversation picking up right where it left off as though Dan had never interrupted.

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"Oh I'm exhausted." Blair collapsed on their bed that night after everyone was gone and the twins bathed and put to bed. "Honestly, Humphrey, I don't know why you insisted that we cook everything. I don't understand why we couldn't have just had it catered, you know, like normal people do."

Dan chuckled quietly as he lay down next to Blair, rolling on his side to face her and sliding his arm around her waist. Even after all this time, they still had such different outlooks on the world, but it was their differences that made them better in his opinion.

"Blair, normal people cook for themselves." He murmured, nuzzling his nose into face.

"Fine." Blair huffed, reminding him of Ethan. He shook his head. That little boy was going to be handful when he got older, Dan was sure of it. He remembered all the trouble Blair had gotten herself into in high school and he had a feeling that Ethan was going to give his mother a run for her money. "Well, seeing as we're 'normal people', I suppose that we have to get up now and clean up that mess…" Blair sighed, trying to pry his arm from her, but Dan tightened it, shaking his head.

"Well, you're still Blair Waldorf, so I think we can hire someone to do that tomorrow." Dan leaned forward brushing his lips over hers and Blair smirked.

"Oh sure, I'm 'Blair Waldorf' when it's time for you to do something…" Blair laughed a little as Dan pinned her to the bed. His eyes locked on hers. He kept waiting for the nerves to hit but they never did. Kissing her once more, Dan moved his lips to whisper two words into her ear.

"Marry me."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

Blair froze. Pulling away abruptly to look at him, sure that she must have heard him wrong. Instead, she found Dan watching her expectantly, smiling tenderly down at her.

"Marry me, Blair. We're already a family, but I want to make it official. I want to stand a roof top and scream to the world that Blair Waldorf is my wife." Dan brushed the hair from her face and Blair was quiet for a moment.

"Of course I'll marry you." Blair slid her arms around his neck, pulling Dan down to crash her lips against his. "I was just waiting for you to ask." She kissed him again, trying to deepen the kiss but Dan pulled away and Blair pouted as he left her alone on the bed. "Dan, what are you…"

"I want to do this right." Dan reached his desk and pulled open the bottom drawer. Blair heart skipped a beat when he turned to reveal a small black box in his hand. She eagerly sat up on the bed as he approached and sat down next to her. "Blair Waldorf, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

"Yes." Blair nodded, tears filling her eyes as Dan opened the box and she looked down at the ring. Her eyes widening and shooting back up to look at Dan. "Dan is that…"

"Your grandmother Waldorf's ring." Dan nodded. "Yeah. I kind of talked to your dad the last time he was in town. He got from it from the safe deposit box for me."

"But how did you know?" Blair asked, still staring down at the ring. "How did you know that I always wanted this ring to be my engagement ring?"

"Because you told me." Dan said simply and Blair looked up at him, confused. "You don't remember do you? It was when we were working at W. They did that spread on weddings and you said that all the rings were gaudy and that your perfect engagement ring was your grandmother Waldorf's. Beautiful and elegant." Dan lifted the ring from the box and slid it on Blair's left hand. "Just like you."

"I can't believe you remembered that." Blair stared down at the ring for a long time before looking back at her fiancé (she liked the sound of that).

"Well, you Ms. Waldorf are pretty unforgettable." Dan leaned down to kiss her again and Blair grinned as she pulled him down on top of her, eagerly returning the kiss.

"Humphrey…" she murmured as Dan's lips moved to her neck and he pulled away to look at her.

"What?" Dan smiled but Blair shook her head, leaning up to kiss him again.

"No. You called me Ms. Waldorf, I was just testing the waters to see how Mrs. Humphrey sounds."

"Blair Humphrey… I like the sound of that."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N- Hey everyone! I'm really sorry for just abandoning this story, but I never forgot it and I really wanted to give Dan and Blair a proper ending. So here it is. I hope you guys like and thanks for reading my story. Please take the time to review, I'd love to hear what you all think. Please excuse any mistakes. I didn't proof read it that well, but I think got the glaringly obvious ones. Take care!  
**

Dan took a deep breath as he stared out the window, the sun just barely starting to rise over the horizon. It was going to be a beautiful day in the Hamptons. Perfect for a wedding.

Today was the day. Today was the day that Dan was finally going to make Blair Waldorf his wife. This was the day he had been waiting for since he found out that she was pregnant. Actually, scratch that, this was the day he had been waiting for since he was 18 years old and they were attending NYU together. Looking back, Dan could see the that he was in love with her then, even if he didn't realize at the time. Blair Waldorf, the Queen Bitch of the Upper East Side, was going to become Blair Humphrey in just a matter of hours. The thought made his heart race just a little bit and he fought the urge to go track her down. Of course, Blair had wanted to be traditional and refused to spend last night together, opting instead to stay with Serena and Jenny at her parents summer home down the beach, and somehow Dan doubts that Eleanor would appreciate him barging in at 7 a.m. demanding to see his fiancée.

As he looked at his watch, Dan couldn't help but wonder what she was doing right now. Once upon a time, she would have barking orders at everyone and being the textbook version of a Bridezilla, but he knew that wasn't the case anymore. Blair had come into her own since the twins were born. Watching her with Audrey and Ethan made him want to drag her to the nearest bed and make ten more just like them.

She still had her insecurities, Dan knew that. There were still times when he would find her staring at herself in the mirror, grimacing at her reflection, critiquing herself, counting the imaginary flaws that no one but her saw. But he's not going to lie, he liked the fact that all it took to pull her from her slump was for him to wrap his arms around her waist and whisper that she was amazing just the way she was. She'd roll her eyes and tell him to get some new material, because really, Humphrey no one listens to Bruno Mars anymore. But she'd always smile and brush her lips across his with a murmured 'I love you' and that was enough to make Dan feel pretty awesome.

Suddenly fidgety and eager for 2:00 p.m. to finally get here, Dan looks up at the sound of a knock on the door and turns to see Nate stick his head in with a smile.

"Hey, just making sure you're still here and that you haven't skipped town." Nate laughs at his own joke and Dan just shakes my head with a smile. "How you doing? Nervous?"

"No." He shakes his head again as Nate makes his way across the room. "Just eager."

"Well, I just talked to Serena and I can tell you that you're not the only one. Apparently, Blair has been up since 6 complaining that the two of you should have scheduled the wedding for 9 instead of 2 because, and I quote, 'this is the longest damn morning in the history of time'."

"She's not wrong." Dan sends Nate a look and the two chuckle. "So, what's up man, what are you doing in here so early?"

"Well, Ethan woke up a little while ago so I gave him some breakfast."

"Oh, thanks man. You didn't have to do that though. You just have just woken me up." Dan grabs his robe and pulls it on quickly.

"Please, you know I love spending time with that little guy." Nate smiled again and Dan once again knew that he and Blair had made the absolute right decision in our choice of godparents for our kids. Nate, Serena, Jenny and Eric loved those kids more than anything and it was a comfort to both of them to know that, god forbid, anything ever happened to them, Audrey and Ethan would be surrounded by people who loved them.

"Yeah, I know." Dan slapped his best man's shoulder. "Come on. I need some coffee." I make my way out of the room with Nate close behind.

"Listen, Dan, there's one more thing." Nate says and Dan glances over his shoulder, pausing at the peculiar look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Both men stop when they reach the main level, Dan turning to look at Nate. "What didn't arrive? The flowers? The cake? Look we need to handle this because I want this day to be perfect for Blair."

"No, it's nothing like that…" Nate shakes his head but before he can finish they hear Ethan's laugh coming from the kitchen, followed by a deep voice that doesn't belong to Rufus or Eric.

"Are you serious?" Dan shoots Nate a look before heading toward the sound of his son's laughter, turning the corner and freezing when he sees Ethan being hoisted in the air with one hand, a squeal of delight escaping the three year old, by none other than Chuck Bass.

Chuck laughs himself before swinging Dan's son over his shoulder easily and turning to Dan with that same shit eating Bass grin he's had since the day they met.

"Daddy, look, Unca Chuck is here!" Ethan grins, still upside down over Chuck's shoulder and Dan can't help but shake his head. Sometimes it still shocks him to hear his kids refer to Chuck Bass of all people as 'Uncle Chuck'.

"Gees Humphrey, this kid weighs a ton, what have you been feeding him." Chuck grins again before setting Ethan on his feet and striding across the room.

It had taken some time but at some point over the last three years, Chuck had found his way back into the fold so to speak. He still lived in Europe, settling in Paris after he had reconnected with Eva, but still made a point of being in Manhattan on a semi-regular basis.

When he had shown up at Audrey and Ethan's first birthday, everyone had been weary but Dan was actually happy to say that Chuck had proved him wrong and he hadn't missed a single family event since. The entire group had made the trek to France when Chuck and Eva wed in an intimate ceremony at Chuck's country home last year, just a few months before the birth of their son, Henry.

"What the hell are you doing here? I thought you and Eva couldn't make it because Henry was sick?" Dan couldn't stop a grin from spreading across his face as Chuck held out his hand and he shook it quickly before the two did a quick man-hug.

"Eva's not here." Chuck says when they've separated. "Henry's better but he still can't fly until his ear infection is completely gone. I was going to stay home with them but Eva insisted I come alone. Besides, Blair Waldorf is about to marry Lonely Boy from Brooklyn. I couldn't miss that." Chuck smirked.

"Oh how I've missed your wit Bass." Dan rolled his eyes. "Well, it sucks that Eva and Henry aren't here. But I'm glad you are." Dan slapped Chuck on the back as he made his way toward the coffee pot, still marvelling slightly that not only had those words come out of his mouth but that he actually meant them. "Blair's going to be ecstatic when she sees you."

"Yeah, I'm pretty excited to see her too." Chuck gave a genuine smile and Dan paused, watching the other man over the rim of his coffee mug as he drank.

He wasn't stupid. He knew Chuck still had feelings for Blair. He remembered all too well the words he had overheard Chuck say to her the night they told him about the pregnancy. _It doesn__'__t matter who else comes into my life, they will never mean to me what you do. _Dan remembers the conviction in Chuck's voice that night and knows that he meant every word of it. But he also knows that while Chuck will always harbour feelings for Blair in some capacity (they've got too much history for him not too), he loves his family and is no longer the kind of man that would destroy everything for something that was best left in the past.

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"Oh Blair, you look beautiful." Serena gushes from behind her and Blair locks eyes with her blonde best friend in the mirror, a soft smile spreading across her face.

Glancing at the clock, she took a deep breath. It was getting close now. She could hear the 20 guests she and Dan had invited mingling in the back yard. It was a small wedding by any standards, but absolutely minuscule by Upper East Side standings. Her mother had initially started making preparations for an elaborate wedding but Blair had quickly put the kibosh on that, explaining that she and Dan wanted something small; just them and the people they loved. Eleanor had simply smiled, pulling her into an embrace and telling her how proud she was of the woman she had become.

"Is Dan here yet?" Blair turned, smoothing down her simple, satin wedding gown, and Serena nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, they just got here. There's someone else who wanted to see you too." Serena says mysteriously. She opens the door again and Blair can't help but gasp when she sees Chuck appear in front of her.

"Oh my God! Chuck what are you doing here?" Blair stares at him shock and Chuck can't help but laugh as he makes his way across the room. "You said you weren't coming. Henry…"

"Eva and Henry are still in France, but I couldn't miss this day." Chuck envelopes her in a hug, mindful of her dress.

"Thank you Chuck." Blair smiles up at him. "It wouldn't have felt right without you here."

"Hey Blair, everyone's ready when you are." Serena appeared in the doorway again and Blair looked up, nodding.

"OK, I just want to run to rest room really quick. Could you round up Audrey?" Blair doesn't wait for an answer as she makes her way to the en suite, closing the door behind her.

"Why did you really come today Chuck?" Serena says when they're alone and Chuck turns to her slowly. "Last time we spoke you said that even if Henry wasn't sick you still didn't think that you could watch her marry Dan…"

"It's not Dan." Chuck interrupts, shaking his head. "I don't have a problem with Dan anymore, you know that. I just didn't think I could watch her marry anyone." Chuck pauses for a second, his shoulders slumping and Serena's expression softens. "I know that Blair and Dan are meant for each other and I love Eva and Henry more than I ever thought was possible, but Blair will forever be the one that got away. The way we ended will always be my biggest regret, my biggest fuck up, and I just didn't think that I could sit there and watch her promise forever to someone else, even Dan, without wondering what might have been."

"What changed your mind?" Serena asks quietly, glancing at the bathroom door before pulling Chuck out of the room and into the hall because the last thing Blair needed to hear was any of this.

"Eva actually." Chuck let out a short laugh. "That woman knows me better than almost anyone." Chuck glances back toward the room where they can hear Blair still moving around. "She told me straight to my face that I had to put my personal feelings aside and be there for my friends because if I didn't I would regret it."

"Seriously, she actually said that?" Serena looked sceptical.

"Eva knows that I will always love Blair, but she also knows the way I love her and Henry is something completely different." Chuck smiled a little. "And she was right. I would have regretted not being here. Blair is a part of me. The same way you and Nate are a part of me."

"The Non-Judging Breakfast Club." They both look up at the sound of Blair's voice and find her standing in the doorway, holding her small bouquet of flowers. "S, can you give us a second?"

"Yeah. I still need to get Audrey anyway." Serena pats Chuck's arm before hurrying downstairs.

"I didn't mean for you to hear any of that." Chuck says when they're alone, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I'm glad I did." Blair moves toward him slowly. "I had a similar experience when you and Eva got married. It wasn't that I wanted to be the one marrying you, but I did wonder what if, so I understand. I should call Eva and thank her for knocking some sense into you. She makes you want to be better person, Chuck, which always made her the better person for you."

"Just like Dan did for you." Chuck wraps an arm around her shoulder, pressing a soft kiss on her temple. "Come Waldorf, let's go get you married."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

Blair smiled as she slipped her arm into her father's and Harold patted her hand as they began the walk down the aisle toward Dan. As their eyes met, it took everything in Blair not to pull away from her father and run the rest of the way, eager to put the last piece of the puzzle of her family into place.

"Congratulations baby." Harold whispered as he kissed her cheek before shaking Dan's hand and taking his seat next to Eleanor.

"Hi." Blair looked up into Dan's eyes, unable to stop the smile that spread across her face.

"Hi." Dan smiled back. The ceremony was quick, simple; the complete opposite of everything that Blair had always thought she wanted for her wedding but it was perfect and when the minister pronounced them husband and wife, Blair didn't hesitate before launching herself into Dan's arms and crashing her lips against his, causing the small crowd of witnesses to laugh and burst into applause.

"Mommy are we married?" Blair feels a tug on her dress and grins as she scoops Ethan into her arms and Dan swings Audrey into his.

"Yes, baby, we're married." Blair settles Ethan on her hip, slipping her hand into Dan's as they make their way down the aisle toward the house where a small reception has been organized.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

"Are you happy?" Dan murmurs into Blair's ear as they sway gently to the music later that night.

"The happiest I've ever been in my life." Blair pulls away to look at him. "Well, except for the day Ethan and Audrey were born."

"OK, well, I'll be number 2 after the twins." Dan leaned down to press his lips to her. "Speaking of, where are the twins…" Dan looked around the room before looking back at Blair.

"Jenny and Eric put them to bed about an hour ago." Blair rolled her eyes. "I'm glad it took you that long to notice they were missing."

"Well, I was distracted…" Dan buried his face in Blair's neck. "I keep thinking how I'd like to take you to bed."

"Dan." Blair swatted his arm as the song came to an end. "Stop it. We have guests."

"Dan!" Serena seems to appear out of no where. "I'm going to take off soon and I still haven't stolen you for a dance. Blair, may I?"

"Of course, S." Blair pecked Dan's lips. "I'm going to rest my weary feet." Dan watched Blair walk away before he turned back to Serena, moving her into his arms and the two of them danced silently for a few moments.

"Congratulations Dan. The ceremony was beautiful. I'm really happy for you and Blair." Serena smiled up at him.

"Thanks Serena. So, how are you and Nate doing? He's been pretty lipped about it. Won't tell me anything." Dan asked and Serena's face broke out of into a grin.

"Good!" Serena nodded enthusiastically. "We're taking it slow considering our history, but yeah. It's really good."

"I'm glad to hear that." Dan smiled, glancing over to see Blair swaying gently with Chuck across the dance floor.

"Are you OK?" Serena asked and Dan looked back the blonde for a second before looking back at Chuck and Blair.

"Yeah, of course, I mean Chuck is our friend." Dan paused for a second. "Yes, he and Blair have a history, but in our little group there aren't many of us who don't."

"Fair enough." Serena laughed. "Fair enough."

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"They look angelic when they're sleeping, don't they?" Blair whispered late that night after the reception had wound down and Dan slid his arms around her waist, the two of watching their sleeping children.

"Just like their mother." Dan murmured back, chuckling as Blair swatted him playfully.

"Today was a great day." Blair leaned back against him. "I'm glad that we're finally a family." Blair looked down at her wedding ring, picking up Dan's hand to kiss his matching ring lovingly.

"We were always a family." Dan whispered, pulling her out of the room and closing the door quietly.

"Well, I'm glad that it's official." Blair turned in Dan's arms once they're locked away in their room. "Especially seeing as that family is going to be getting bigger soon, in about 9 months to be exact." Blair looked up at her husband, biting her lip to stop from grinning as realization spread across Dan's face.

"Oh my god! Are you serious?" Dan's voice was barely a whisper as Blair nodded and Dan placed his hand on her still flat stomach. "How long have you known?"

"I actually just took the test this morning." Blair laughed as Dan gathered her in his arms, burying his face in her hair. "So I take it, this is good news."

"This is amazing news." Dan pulls away from her, kissing her softly, lifting her easily into his arms and carrying her toward the bed.

"I love you Dan Humphrey." Blair brushes the hair from his eyes as he settles himself next to her on the bed.

"I love you Blair Humphrey."


End file.
